Which Columbia-area hospitals got top marks in new safety grades? See the rankings

Three Columbia area hospitals received the highest mark possible in the spring safety grades released by a medical watchdog group. Most Midlands medical facilities repeated the solid ratings they received in the previous scores, which were released in the fall of 2024.

The newest biannual ranking shows that Columbia’s Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge and Prisma Health Baptist again can be considered among the safest hospitals in South Carolina, where they are joined by Lexington Medical Center. The Prisma hospitals retained their As from the fall ranking, while Lexington Medical Center had its grade improve in the latest ranking.

Another Midlands hospital in the Prisma chain — Prisma Health Tuomey in Sumter — also got the top mark in the safety grades that were made public Thursday.

“Prisma Health has become a national leader in quality, safety and experience. In addition to our nine “A” rankings, there are only two health systems in the United States that have more Leapfrog Top Hospitals than Prisma Health,” Prisma Health Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Jonathan Gleason said Thursday in a release. “These results are a direct result of the Prisma Health team’s dedication to placing the patient, and their overall experience, at the center of everything we do. I am thankful for their contributions.”

Since 2012, the Leapfrog Group has published Hospital Safety Scores twice a year — once in the spring and once during the fall — to create transparency in the U.S. health system. The rating is focused on “errors, accidents, injuries and infections,” the group said on its website.

Based on this criteria, Columbia and Lexington hospitals received three A grades, one B and two Cs for the spring. Those include:

▪ Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge repeated its score from the fall ranking of A.

▪ Prisma Health Baptist repeated its score from the fall ranking of A.

▪ Lexington Medical Center saw its grade rise one letter from B in the fall ranking to A.

▪ Prisma Health Richland repeated its score from the fall ranking of B.

▪ MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast repeated its score from the fall ranking of C. The facility was formerly Providence Health Northeast.

▪ MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown repeated its score from the fall ranking of C. The facility was formerly Providence Health.

Two other hospitals in the Midlands received an A, while three others had their grades drop from the fall ranking.

▪ Prisma Health Tuomey (in Sumter) repeated its score from the fall ranking of A.

▪ McCleod Health Clarendon in Manning repeated its score from the fall ranking of A.

▪ MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center saw its grade drop one letter from A in the fall ranking to B.

▪ Newberry County Memorial Hospital saw its grade drop one letter from B in the fall ranking to C.

▪ MUSC Health Orangeburg saw its grade drop one letter from B in the fall ranking to C. The hospital was formerly Regional Medical Center of Orangeburg and Calhoun Counties.

“Lexington Medical Center is constantly striving to provide the best possible outcomes for our patients,” Lexington Medical Center President and CEO Tod Augsburger said in a release. “Hospital safety is a top priority, and I’m glad that our doctors, nurses and staff can be recognized for their efforts as we work to meet the health care needs of our friends, families and neighbors in the Midlands.”

Grading South Carolina

Overall in South Carolina, of the 51 hospitals that were ranked, 24 received an A. That’s an improvement from the 21 hospitals to get an A grade in the fall rankings. There were 11 hospitals to receive a B, while 15 others recorded C grades in the spring rankings.

No hospitals in the Palmetto State received an F in the spring grades. But for the second consecutive grading period, a hospital in South Carolina — this time Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill — was issued a D grade. Another hospital, Cherokee Medical Center in Gaffney, was not graded in the latest report.

Nationally, South Carolina notably improved as it was ranked 5th among all states, tied with Virginia. Of the hospitals in the Palmetto State, 47.1% scored an A rating. Again, that was an improvement from the fall (40.4%), when South Carolina was ranked 10^th in the nation.

The bigger picture

Utah (60.7%) remained the top-rated state in the U.S. for the fourth consecutive grading period. There was a four-way tie for lowest grade — among Iowa, North Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming — as none had a hospital with an A grade.

“Upwards of 200,000 people die every year from hospital errors, injuries, accidents, and infections,” the Leapfrog Group said. “It’s up to everyone to make sure that patient safety is the No. 1 priority at every hospital across the United States. Some hospitals have hidden dangers, but there are things you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones.”

Leapfrog said it graded about 3,000 hospitals nationwide this spring.

“All hospitals should be proud to earn an ‘A,’ but they should not rest on that laurel. Patient safety is a relentless, never-ending quest to put patients first,” Leapfrog President and CEO Leah Binder said on the group’s website. “That’s why Leapfrog is highlighting the hospitals across the U.S. that have earned Straight As for over two years. Sustaining an A over multiple years reflects a deep-rooted commitment to patient safety.”

Leapfrog said more than 500 people will die today because of a preventable hospital error, and every year 1 of 31 patients will develop a preventable infection while in the hospital.

“You should speak up immediately if you see something that is not right or safe,” Leapfrog said.

Receiving care

“You should never refuse care in an emergency because of a hospital’s safety grade,” Leapfrog said. But talk with a doctor about the best hospital for planned, elective procedures.

However, Leapfrog’s study shows that patients at “D” and “F” hospitals face a greater risk of dying than those at hospitals graded A.

“We know ‘A’ hospitals do a better job at preventing errors,” Leapfrog previously said. “If your local hospital rates below an ‘A,’ talk with your doctor at that hospital and urge them to improve their safety.”

Hospitals vary on things like “infection rates, surgical errors, and patient injuries — not to mention ER wait times,” so using the safety grades and researching options is important, according to the group.

“Your choice of hospital could be a life or death decision,” Leapfrog said.

What to do about an error made in the hospital?

Leapfrog said that “if you are concerned, feel like something might go wrong, or if you actually see an error made in a hospital,” there are steps to take which include:

• Talk to someone immediately.
• Do not wait to report the incident if no one you know is around. All health care staff members — from physicians to the custodial crew – are there to make your care as safe as possible.
• Discuss the issue in a respectful, yet assertive manner.
• If the error happens to you, talk to a hospital employee who can investigate and resolve the problem. Be clear that you expect to hear back about the issue, and that you would like to see something done to address the error. You or a family member should follow up after reporting.
• If you do not receive an answer during your stay or shortly after being discharged from the hospital, contact the hospital’s customer service, patient advocacy or patient and family relations department.
• Many hospitals have an established system for reporting errors, such as a suggestion box or a hot line. Use these systems. The problem will not be addressed if it is not reported.

SOURCE: Leapfrog Medical Group

Making the grade

The Leapfrog Group said 22 measures are used to generate hospital safety grades, which is divided into two domains: Process/Structural Measures and Outcome Measures.

Process Measures represent how often a hospital gives patients recommended treatment for a given medical condition or procedure. For example, “Responsiveness of hospital staff” looks at patients’ feedback on how long it takes for a staff member to respond when they request help.

Structural Measures represent the environment in which patients receive care. For example, “Doctors order medications through a computer” represents whether a hospital uses a special computerized system to prevent errors when prescribing medications.

Outcome Measures represent what happens to a patient while receiving care. For example, “Dangerous object left in patient’s body” measures how many times a patient undergoing surgery had a dangerous foreign object, such as a sponge or tool, left in their body.

The Process Measures include:

▪ Computerized Physician Order Entry

▪ Bar Code Medication Administration

▪ ICU Physician Staffing

▪ Leadership Structures and Systems

▪ Culture Measurement, Feedback & Intervention

▪ Nursing Workforce

▪ Hand Hygiene

▪ Nurse Communication

▪ Doctor Communication

▪ Staff Responsiveness

▪ Communication about Medicines

▪ Discharge Information

The Outcome Measures include:

▪ Foreign Object Retained

▪ Air Embolism

▪ Falls and Trauma

▪ CLABSI

▪ CAUTI

▪ SSI: Colon

▪ MRSA

▪ C. Diff.

▪ Death Rate among Surgical Inpatients with Serious Treatable Conditions

▪ Patient safety and adverse events composite

SOURCE: Leapfrog Medical Group

This story was originally published May 1, 2025 at 7:40 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription