In advance of its annual shareholders meeting on April 23, HCA Healthcare’s board of directors once again is urging voters to reject a proposal by state Sen. Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe, that would require HCA to report on the health consequences of its acquisitions over the past 10 years, including the purchase of Asheville’s Mission Hospital in 2019.
Mayfield’s proposal would require HCA to disclose information including the number of physician departures post-acquisition; a comparison of pre- and post-acquisition patient satisfaction ratings; a comparison of the number of staff per occupied beds pre- and post-acquisition; and an overview of the community’s perception of the acquisition.
Although the supporting material provided by Mayfield uses Mission as an example — citing “patient safety failures, regulatory censure, multiple lawsuits, clinician attrition, inability to expand, and community backlash” — the proposal would cover all HCA acquisitions over the past 10 years…