MUSC Health wins 71 Certified Zero Harm Awards in 2023

Clinical awards recognize commitment to patient safety and highly reliable care

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Dec. 6, 2023) – MUSC Health medical centers throughout South Carolina earned 71 Certified Zero Harm Awards in 2023. These awards recognize units with an extraordinary commitment to quality of care that have successfully eliminated some of the most common medical harms in health care today.  

South Carolina’s Zero Harm program was created by the South Carolina Hospital Association (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 health care facilities. Now in its 10th year, the program receives ongoing support from Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina. It has expanded outside its clinical focus to additional priority areas, including reducing disparities and workplace violence.

The Certified Zero Harm Awards remain the program’s flagship effort. The unique statewide recognition is thanks to SCHA’s collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). For each award, hospitals must eliminate or avoid specific, preventable harms over an extended period of time, and DHEC must independently verify that data. This valuable 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. 

“In the realm of health care quality, these awards highlight the dedication and excellence of our teams throughout the state,” said Danielle Scheurer, M.D., chief quality officer for MUSC Health. “Our dedicated care team members and leaders will continue our relentless pursuit of patient quality until we achieve our goal of zero preventable patient harm.”

MUSC locations that earned Zero Harm Awards in 2023:

• MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center – 11
• MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown – 10
• MUSC Health Florence Medical Center – 10
• MUSC Health Chester Medical Center – 9
• MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center – 8
• MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast – 7
• MUSC Health Marion Medical Center – 6
• MUSC Health-Orangeburg – 4
• MUSC Health Florence Rehabilitation Center – 3
• MUSC Health-Charleston – 3

“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,” said Karen Reynolds, director of Innovation and Acceleration at SCHA. “As medical errors continue to be a major concern across the country, South Carolina has developed a blueprint for reducing avoidable harm in our health care facilities that other states can follow.”

For a full listing of division-specific awards, visit zeroharmsc.org/award-winners-2023. 

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About MUSC 

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates more than 3,200 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy – and trains more than 900 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $300 million in research funds in fiscal year 2023, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding. For information on 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. Patient care is provided at 16 hospitals (includes owned or governing interest), with approximately 2,700 beds and four additional hospital locations in development, more than 350 telehealth sites and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina. In 2023, for the ninth 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 $5.9 billion. The nearly 26,000 MUSC family members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, students, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research and patient care.