MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center and Columbia Medical Center Northeast Earn An 'A' Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group

New Grade for Fall 2023 is a national recognition for patient safety

Columbia/Camden, SC November 6, 2023 –

MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center and Columbia Medical Center Northeast earned an "A" Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group. This national nonprofit watchdog sets standards for excellence in patient care. Leapfrog assigns an "A," "B," "C," "D" or "F" grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries, and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

"Our hospitals are dedicated to offering high-quality care, and it is an honor to be recognized by Leapfrog with an ‘A’,” said Stacy Collier, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CENP, CPHQ, CPPS, Chief Quality Officer at MUSC Health Midlands. “This is a direct result of the commitment of our extraordinary care team members to the well-being and safety of our patients and their families."

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program exclusively based on hospital prevention of medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day nationally. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually in the fall and spring.

"Earning an 'A' Grade means MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center made a true commitment to put patients first," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "We congratulate the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff, and volunteers that all had a role to play in this achievement."

To see Kershaw Medical Center's full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter, Facebook and via its newsletter.

About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state's only comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates more than 3,200 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy – and trains more than 900 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $300 million in research funds in fiscal year 2023, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding. Learn more about our academic programs.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Patient care is provided at 16 hospitals (includes owned or governing interest), with approximately 2,700 beds and four additional hospital locations in development, more than 350 telehealth sites and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina. In 2023, for the ninth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the Number 1 hospital in South Carolina. Learn more about our patient services.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $5.9 billion. The nearly 26,000 MUSC family members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, students, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.