These SC hospitals are the most unsafe for 2025. See if your hospital is listed

One South Carolina hospital received a D grade from a watchdog group and seven others received C grades.

Leapfrog, a national nonprofit, issues hospital safety grades twice a year, looking at accidents, errors, injuries and infections.

Four South Carolina hospitals were cited for deaths from treatable serious complications and three for leaving dangerous objects in a patient’s body.

Most unsafe hospitals

Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill, which received a D rating. It has fallen from B and C in 2022, C grades in both reports in 2023 and Ds in 2024.

It was one of the hospitals that reported a death from complications.

The hospital was rated below average blood leakage, accidental cuts and tears, bedsores, falls, and falls causing broken hips. Also, dangerous blood clots, handwashing, communication about medicine and discharge.

The organization said the hospital did not have specialty trained doctors for the Intensive Care Unit, lacked communication with doctors and nurses and was not responsive.

A spokesman for Piedmont Medical Center responded that Leapfrog’s grades were “dangerous and misleading“ and “inflict substantial and immeasurable harm on our community hospitals, our patients, and the public. “

“Leapfrog’s business model relies on hospitals participating in its annual survey to drive revenue. Over the past year, Leapfrog has deliberately changed its Hospital Safety Grade scoring methodology to punish hospitals that decline to participate in its survey—without scientific basis or expert report, and instead for commercial reasons. The result is a system built on inaccurate data and pressure tactics that mislead the public and damage hospitals’ reputations. These rankings benefit only Leapfrog, at the expense of patients and the broader healthcare system.

The hospital remains committed to patient safety and the highest quality care, the spokesperson said.

“These false ratings undermine the vital trust between doctors, hospitals, and patients that is essential to achieving positive health outcomes. We stand with our sister hospitals, which earlier this year filed a complaint in Florida challenging The Leapfrog Group’s dangerous and misleading rankings under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.”

Earlier his year, a Leapfrog spokesperson said, “It’s human nature to want to shoot the messenger when you get a bad grade, so I understand that if a hospital gets a ‘D’ or an ‘F,’ they immediately turn to Leapfrog and accuse us of misjudgment, I guess, but some of the statements that they’ve made are factually incorrect.”

Aiken Regional Medical Center in Aiken was grade C, the same grade it received in the spring. In the fall of 2024 the hospital was rated B.

It was one of the hospitals that reported a death from serious treatable complications.

It scored below average on surgical site infection after colon surgery, sepsis after surgery, kidney injury after surgery, serious breathing problem, lack of communication about medication and discharge.

It was cited for not having effective leadership to prevent errors and responsiveness of staff.

Cherokee Medical Center in Gaffney was not graded in spring 2025 and received a C in fall 2024. It was cited for C diff infection (a bacterial infection that causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever), bedsores, staff works together, effective leadership, specially trained doctors in ICU, infection after surgery.

The hospital did not report information on infections such as MRSA, serious infection after surgery or surgery problems, Leapfrog said.

Hilton Head Medical Center on Hilton Head Island was graded C, as it was in the spring and the fall of 2024. It received a B grade in spring 2024.

It was cited for surgical site infection after colon surgery, fall causing broken hip, collapsed lung, communication about medication and discharge, nursing and bedside care and no specialty training in ICU.

Medical University of South Carolina University Medical Center in Charleston received a C grade, as it has consistently since 2022.

The hospital was judged below average for C diff infection, infection after colon surgery, sepsis after surgery, dangerous object left in a person’s body, blood leakage, kidney injury, accidental tears and cuts bed sores, collapsed lung, falls, blood clot and communication about discharge.

MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown in Columbia was grade C as it was earlier this year and in 2024.

It was cited for a death from a treatable complication as well as MRSA infection, blood infection, bed sores, falls, collapsed lung, falls causing broken hip, communication about medication and discharge.

MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast in Columbia received a C grade as it did earlier this year and in 2024. It received A grades in 2023. Leapfrog said it had a death from a treatable complication, bed sores, falls, falls causing broken hip, collapsed lung and lack of communication about medication and discharge.

MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center in Camden received a C grade after earning a B in the spring and As in 2024.

It scored below average for C diff infection, surgical incision split open, serious breathing problem, accidental cuts and tears, bed sores communication about medicines and responsiveness of staff.

MUSC Health Orangeburg in Orangeburg was graded C, as it was in the spring.

Leapfrog reported low grades as blood infection, surgical site infection after colon surgery, sepsis after surgery, dangerous object left in body, blood leakage, kidney injury after surgery, cuts and tears, bed sores, falls, collapsed lung, blood clot and communication about discharge.

Newberry County Memorial Hospital in Newberry was grade C as it was in the spring. It received B grades in both 2024 reports.

It was cited for accidental cuts and tears, not having doctors orders issued through a computer, safe medication administration, handwashing and not having a specially trained ICU doctor.

Prisma Health Baptist Easley Hospital in Easley received a C after having a B in the spring and two Cs in 2024.

Reported were C diff infection, surgical site infection after colon surgery, falls and lack of communication about medicine.

Prisma Health Richland Hospital in Columbia was judged a C after receiving B grades earlier this year and in both 2024 reports.

The issues were surgical site infection after colon surgery, kidney injury after surgery, serious breathing problem, dangerous bed sores and lack of communication about medicine, discharge and with nurses.

Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital in Georgetown was graded C, the same as in the spring. It was graded D in the fall 2024 and C in spring 2024. Cited were a dangerous object in a patient’s body, blood leakage, falls causing broken hip, collapsed lung, communication about medicine, discharge and with nurses. Also, there were no specially trained doctors for the ICU and responsiveness of staff.

Other report findings

• Utah ranks #1 for the fifth consecutive Safety Grade round.
• The top five states for percentage of A hospitals were Utah, Virginia, New Jersey, Connecticut and North Carolina.
• Iowa, North Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming have no A hospitals.
• The problems listed in the report are ”largely preventable” and harm one in four inpatients and cause as many as 250,000 deaths each year, Leapfrog said.

This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 6:00 AM.