Can Asheville ambulance patients choose non-Mission hospitals?

Immediate Jeopardy at Mission Hospital

The federal government has declared an Immediate Jeopardy designation at Mission Hospital in Asheville, marking the most serious deficiency regulators can assign to a healthcare facility. A recent report revealed that four patients tragically lost their lives due to missteps at the hospital, prompting concerns among residents about their options in the event of a health emergency that requires calling 911.

Patients’ Hospital Choices

Residents in Asheville may wonder if they have the freedom to request that an ambulance transport them to a hospital other than Mission Hospital. The answer is both yes and no, according to Kassi Day, spokesperson for Buncombe County Emergency Services. The EMS system in the county provides patients with some choice regarding the hospitals they can be taken to, including Mission Hospital, AdventHealth in Hendersonville, and the Charles George Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Conditions for Transport

Although patients have some say in their hospital destination, Mission Hospital remains the region’s only tertiary care center, offering specialized services that smaller hospitals may not provide. Therefore, there are specific conditions that necessitate transporting patients to Mission, such as heart attacks, strokes, pediatrics, obstetrics, trauma, and burns. Critically ill patients are usually taken to the closest appropriate facility, which is often Mission Hospital.

Transport to Other Hospitals

Buncombe EMS has the flexibility to transport patients to hospitals outside of the EMS system, like UNC Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville or Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde, depending on the patient’s condition and the EMS system’s capacity at the time. In addition to Buncombe EMS, rural fire departments in the county also have ambulances at their disposal to respond to patients.

Emergency Response Decisions

Fairview EMS Coordinator Landon Miller explained that their emergency response system can choose from UNC Pardee, AdventHealth, Mission, and the VA for patient transport. Critical patients are often recommended for Mission Hospital due to its high level of care. The decision regarding the destination hospital ultimately lies with the healthcare providers, based on the patient’s medical needs and acuity level.

Conclusion

Ultimately, while patients in Asheville do have some say in which hospital they prefer to be transported to in the event of a medical emergency, certain conditions and the availability of specialized services may require them to be taken to Mission Hospital. The priority remains the well-being and appropriate medical care for each patient, with healthcare providers making the crucial decisions on hospital destinations.