ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Thursday night, Oct. 19, a long list of local doctors brought up concerns about the quality of healthcare in the mountains since the time Mission Hospital was purchased by HCA.

Physicians and patients voiced what they said is a decline, and they said many physicians fear retaliation from HCA for expressing their concerns.

During Thursday’s meeting at the Scenic Hotel in Asheville, multiple employees or former employees said they were told to stay away on days the independent monitor visited medical facilities.

One person called the visits with hospital brass staged.

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“Our job is to evaluate compliance with those commitments and advise Dogwood Health Trust, which is in charge of enforcement of the commitments,” said Ronald Winters, principal at Gibbins Advisors, the independent monitor in charge of evaluation.

Winters said that HCA is currently satisfying the 15 commitments, but not everyone at the meeting was convinced.

“If you look at those 15 points, they’re very difficult to prove anything has not been done,” said Michael Messino, a physician at Messino Cancer Centers. “They built the building and they’ve maintained certain levels of care, but they’ve not fulfilled what the community thinks is correct.”

Over an hour of public comment detailed what many attending Thursday view as a tangible decline in service since HCA bought Mission in 2019.

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“I grew up in this area, and so I see the difference in Mission Hospital now than even 10 years ago,” said Rene Brooks, a radiography teacher at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.

A letter signed by more than 40 doctors was read aloud, which stated, in part:

“Many of the for-profit-driven changes that HCA has wrought, despite advocacy and protests from multiple sectors, have gutted the heart and soul of our community healthcare system. The relationships and deep personal investment that historically mattered to staff across the board have been stifled. Emblematic of this is the loss of over 200 physicians and countless healthcare staff who have left Mission and/or the medical community since the sale.”

“In many respects, we’re umpires,” said Winters. “We’re calling balls and strikes, and changes that might be in the social interest, unfortunately, are not things that we have the ability to do.”

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Winters said, as an independent monitor, his firm is constantly evaluating whether or not issues fall within the 15 commitments, but that’s where his purview begins and ends.

Several employees asked for random visits to Mission facilities.

Winters said discussions with Dogwood Health Trust, the party in charge of making sure HCA meets the 15 commitments, will be had regarding the frequency and conditions of visits to the mountain facilities.

Currently, there are only scheduled visits in May.

A spokesperson for Mission Health released the following statement Thursday evening regarding the meeting:

“We were pleased that the Independent Monitor acknowledges Mission Health has continued to honor our commitments in the Purchase Agreement. While quality of care does not fall under the monitor’s role, Mission Hospital is regularly surveyed by officials from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, The Joint Commission and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to ensure we are delivering safe care. Additionally, other independent third-party organizations have deemed Mission Hospital one of the nation’s best.

We continue to invest in expanding quality care for the patients we are privileged to serve and are incredibly proud of our teams and their dedication to our community.”