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Here are the most unsafe & safest hospitals in the Myrtle Beach, SC area, a new report shows

McLeod Health Seacoast Hospital in Little River earned a B grade in the Fall 2024 Hospital Safety Grades report by the Leapfrog Group.
McLeod Health Seacoast Hospital in Little River earned a B grade in the Fall 2024 Hospital Safety Grades report by the Leapfrog Group. jlee@thesunnews.com

Half of the hospitals in the Myrtle Beach area earned average and below-average grades in the newest report by Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit which has analyzed patient safety and care data for more than 20 years.

“Despite improvements seen in this fall’s Safety Grade, significant variation in performance remains across U.S. hospitals,” Leapfrog Group President and CEO Leah Binder said in a press release. “That’s why it’s so important for people to consult grades when making decisions about seeking care. All hospitals are not the same.”

To grade how well hospitals prevent medical errors, accidents and infections, Leapfrog evaluates publicly available safety data for more than 30 patient safety measures like infections, dangerous objects left in patients’ bodies and deaths from treatable serious complications.

LOCAL GRADES

With more than 40% of South Carolina hospitals scoring A grades, the Palmetto State tied with Colorado for the number 10 spot on the fall 2024 ranking of states with the highest rates of grade A facilities. Of the 52 South Carolina hospitals evaluated, 21 earned A grades, 14 earned B grades, 15 earned C grades and two earned D grades.

In the Myrtle Beach area, those scores were lower. One Grand Strand hospital scored an A grade, two scored B grades, two scored C grades and one scored a D grade.

Here’s how the fall 2024 report rated the six Myrtle Beach-area hospitals.

D GRADE

Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital

606 Black River Road, Georgetown, SC 29440-3304

C GRADE

Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital

4070 Highway 17 S., Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

Conway Medical Center

300 Singleton Ridge Road, Conway, SC 29526-9175

B GRADE

McLeod Loris

3655 Mitchell St., Loris, SC 29569-9601

McLeod Seacoast

4000 Highway 9 E., Little River, SC 29566

A GRADE

Grand Strand Regional Medical Center

809 82nd Parkway, Myrtle Beach, SC 29572-4607

This story was originally published November 21, 2024 at 6:00 AM.

MS
Maria Elena Scott
The Sun News
Maria Elena Scott writes about trending topics and what you need to know in the Grand Strand. She studied journalism at the University of Houston and covered Cleveland news before coming to the Palmetto State.
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