Greg Lowe, the North Carolina president of HCA Healthcare, is taking charge as CEO of Asheville’s Mission Hospital months after state and federal regulators cited it for failures in following to comply with health and safety regulations.
Mission Hospital CEO Chad Patrick is returning to HCA Florida’s Orange Park Hospital as CEO.
The change will “will streamline administrative structure to better support Mission Hospital and facilitate more direct communication between leadership, medical staff and colleagues,” spokeswoman Nancy Lindell said in an email. “This restructuring will be significant in driving action-oriented responses to feedback and providing direct access to the vast resources and support of HCA Healthcare.”
Lowe is relocating his office to Mission Hospital over the next few weeks, she said.
In late 2023, an investigation by federal authorities and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services found “multiple failures in Mission’s compliance with health and safety regulations. In February, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services found the hospital to be in immediate jeopardy, the most serious sanction a hospital can receive.
A follow-up visit follow by state inspectors found “no deficiencies,’’ prompting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ decision in June to remove the risk of Mission Hospital losing its Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Patrick served as Mission’s CEO since 2019, when it was acquired by Nashville, Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare, the largest U.S. operator of hospitals.
The executive change was initially reported by the Asheville Watchdog.
