Mission Hospital earns national patient safety award, ranks in top 5% nationwide

Asheville, N.C. — Mission Hospital, as a part of HCA Healthcare, today announced that it has received a 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ from Healthgrades, the #1 site Americans use to find a doctor or hospital. This award reflects Mission Health’s commitment to safe, patient-centered care and puts the organization in the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for patient safety.

“This national recognition reflects the extraordinary dedication and professionalism of our physicians, nurses, and care teams who are focused every day on delivering safe, high-quality care to our patients,” said Greg Lowe, CEO of Mission Health and Mission Hospital. “We know how important this hospital is to our community and how essential trust is in the care we provide. Even as we work through areas that require improvement, we are proud to honor our team who continue to make measurable progress and achieve strong patient outcomes. I am deeply proud of their resilience, accountability, and unwavering commitment to putting patients first.”

Alongside this national recognition for patient safety, Mission Hospital was recently named one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for overall clinical care - and the recipient of numerous accolades based on its exceptional performance in key service areas, including being first in North Carolina in Critical Care, Cardiology, Stroke Care, GI, Medical Treatment, and Surgery. These achievements further underscore the organization’s commitment to delivering compassionate, individualized care at every step of the patient journey.

Mission Hospital’s achievement is based solely on what matters most: patient outcomes. To determine the national leaders in patient safety, Healthgrades evaluated risk-adjusted complication and mortality rates from approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide across 13 patient safety indicators (PSIs), with each PSI representing a serious, preventable complication.

HCA Healthcare supports a culture in which patient safety is embedded in everyday care delivery. For more than a decade, the organization has operated a federally listed Patient Safety Organization (PSO) that partners with hospitals to strengthen clinical processes, advance evidence-based safety practices and facilitate enterprise-wide learning. Insights gained across facilities are systematically shared to promote consistency, advance adoption of proven practices and enhance the reliability of care across the organization.

HCA Healthcare has a long history of advancing patient safety through collaboration with leading public and private institutions. Through research initiatives like REDUCE MRSA, ABATE, Swap Out, CLUSTER and INSPIRE the organization continues to contribute to evidence-based practices that advance infection prevention and strengthen the safety and reliability of care for patients.

Healthgrades’ annual analysis revealed significant performance gaps between the nation’s highest-and lowest-achieving facilities, making it increasingly important for consumers to seek care at a hospital with top safety ratings. During the 2022-2024 study period, 167,228 preventable safety events occurred among Medicare patients at U.S. hospitals, with four PSIs accounting for nearly 78% of all incidents. Patients treated at Mission Hospital and other award-winning facilities had a profoundly lower risk of experiencing these leading complications:

• In-hospital fall resulting in fracture (52.4% less likely)
• Collapsed lung due to a procedure in or around the chest (57.5% less likely)
• Catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital (67.8% less likely)
• Pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital (71.9% less likely)

"The data behind this year’s Patient Safety Excellence Award highlights how measurable improvements in safety can prevent thousands of complications,” said Dr. Alana Biggers, MPH, medical advisor at Healthgrades. “By prioritizing evidence-based safety practices, Mission Hospital is achieving better clinical outcomes and cultivating a culture where patients come first.” 

Where you’re treated matters, which is why Healthgrades is committed to providing the most scientifically accurate information about doctors and hospitals–with data insights not available anywhere else. For additional guidance on finding safe, high-quality care in 2026, visit Healthgrades. 

*Statistics are calculated from Healthgrades’ Patient Safety Excellence Award Methodology, which is based primarily on AHRQ technical specifications (Version 2025.0.1) to MedPAR data from approximately 4,500 hospitals for years 2022 through 2024 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only.