The South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA) has awarded 77 Certified Zero Harm Awards in 2024 to MUSC Health medical centers throughout South Carolina. The awards recognize units with an extraordinary commitment to quality of care who have successfully eliminated some of the most common medical errors in health care today.
“This recognition highlights our dedication to exceptional patient care in our locations across the state,” said Danielle Scheurer, M.D., chief quality officer, MUSC Health. “We are deeply proud of our care teams and leaders, whose unwavering commitment to patient safety drives our pursuit of improvement.”
MUSC Locations that received Zero Harm Awards in 2024:
- MUSC Health University Medical Center – 13
- MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center – 10
- MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown – 8
- MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center – 8
- MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast – 7
- MUSC Health Marion Medical Center – 7
- MUSC Health Florence Medical Center – 7
- MUSC Health Chester Medical Center – 6
- MUSC Health-Orangeburg – 6
- MUSC Health Black River Medical Center – 5
SCHA created the Zero Harm program SCHA in collaboration with The Duke Endowment and The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Health to support statewide efforts to create a culture of high reliability and reduce harm in our health care facilities. Now in its 11th year, the program currently receives ongoing support from BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and has expanded outside of its clinical focus to touch on other major priority areas like disparities and workplace violence.
The Certified Zero Harm Awards remain the program’s flagship effort. It is a unique statewide recognition thanks to SCHA’s collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH). For each award, hospitals must eliminate or avoid specific preventable hospital-acquired infections over an extended period of time, and that data must be independently verified by DPH. This unique third-party verification process with the state health department provides exceptional legitimacy to these patient safety awards and is a testament to the spirit of statewide collaboration.
“The Zero Harm program is a prime example of a successful partnership between the public and private sector that improves the quality of life in South Carolina,” says Melanie Matney, chief operating officer of SCHA and president of the SCHA Foundation. “As medical errors continue to be a major concern across the country, South Carolina has developed a blueprint for reducing avoidable harm in our healthcare facilities that other states can follow.”
“Zero patient harm is possible only if physicians, clinical and support staff members work together to support a culture of high reliability. Zero Harm Award winners are an inspiration to all hospitals across the state striving to provide measurably safe care for every patient.”
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates over 3,100 students in six colleges and trains 950+ residents and fellows across its health system. MUSC leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health and research funding. For information on our academic programs, visit musc.edu.
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. In 2024, for the 10th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.
MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $7.1 billion. The 31,000 MUSC members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, contract employees, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.