Tidelands Waccamaw named top hospital

The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit that collects and transparently reports hospital performance, has ranked Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital as one of the nation’s Top Hospitals.

Bruce Bailey, president and CEO of Tidelands Health, said winning the elite award is gratifying.

“This is the first time we have won this particular award and I think what is most gratifying is the fact it is a culmination of work over the last few years by physicians, nurses and hospital leadership to improve the patient experience while making sure to provide safe and reliable care,” he said.

Tidelands Health also includes Georgetown Memorial Hospital and Waccamaw Rehabilitation Hospital, an inpatient rehabilitation facility located within the community hospital.

Tidelands Waccamaw is one of 98 hospitals nationwide selected for the 2015 award and is the only hospital in the region to be named to the Top Hospital list, according to a release from The Leapfrog Group. Tidelands Waccamaw is one of 24 rural hospitals recognized, along with 62 urban hospitals and 12 children’s hospitals.

Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said, “Leapfrog’s Top Hospital award is widely acknowledged as one of the most prestigious distinctions any hospital can achieve in the United States.”

The selection is based on an annual survey that focuses on three critical areas of hospital care: how patients fare, resource use and management structures established to prevent errors.

Performance in numerous areas of care is considered, including survival rates for high-risk procedures and the hospital’s ability to prevent errors with medication.

Binder said Top Hospitals have lower infection rates, better outcomes, decreased length of stay and fewer readmissions. “By achieving Top Hospital status, Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital has proven it prioritizes the safety of its patients, is committed to transparency and provides exemplary care for families and patients in Georgetown, Horry and Williamsburg counties,” she said.

Bailey said it is a privilege to work with a team that continuously strives to improve quality and safety and comes to work daily prepared to do the best for patients. He said while plans will be made to celebrate the recognition, employees and staff had been kept in the dark about the award until the news could be released to the community.

“Our board had the vision to build Tidelands Waccamaw Hospital 20 years ago and it has obviously met a need in this community. It has done important work and the community has embraced the hospital,” he said.

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Tidelands Waccamaw named top hospital."