Message From the CEO

This past year was marked by continued transformation and growth. MUSC Health expanded throughout the state at a breakneck pace. In August, we acquired the Midlands Division hospitals, Columbia Medical Center, Columbia Medical Center Northeast and Kershaw Medical Center. We also partnered with Tribe 513 to collaboratively deliver care in the Upstate.

We continued to see growth in the Florence and Lancaster divisions. In the Florence division, robotic surgery, thrombectomy, and electrophysiology programs continued to grow. In partnership with MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, MUSC Health Florence and Marion enhanced the lung screening and smoking cessation programs. In addition, construction is underway at our new hospital in the Williamsburg/Lake City area, Black River Medical Center, and we look forward to opening the hospital in 2023.

In the Lancaster Division, we acquired the local gastroenterology practice which is now MUSC Health – Gastroenterology – Lancaster, opened a physical therapy clinic at the Indian Land YMCA. We launched the MUSC Health – Lung Cancer Screening Program in Lancaster and Chester and became the official Sports Medicine providers of the Chester County School District and Lancaster County School District. We launched a mobile PET/CT Service, purchased da Vinci Robotics to begin using at the end of 2021 and announced plans to begin a Kidney Transplant Program in early 2022.

These acquisitions, investments and partnerships enabled us to lay the groundwork for providing “the right care, in the right place, at the right time” through connectivity to key geographic areas in our state.

Further, these expansions along with our robust telehealth network support our commitment to addressing the growing rural health care access and delivery disparities in South Carolina.
MUSC must enhance its scale and scope to meet the future needs of our state. National trends show that hospital systems must form partnerships and collaborations or risk their survival – this is just what we have done.

Last year, I mentioned shared examples of the tests we have faced. The content featured in our 2021 Year in Review highlights the many ways that MUSC care team members have overcome these difficult challenges and exceeded expectations over the past few years.

I am pleased to share this with you.

Yours in health,

Patrick J. Cawley, MD
CEO, MUSC Health
Executive Vice President Health Affairs, University