CPRMC Earns ScionHealth’s ‘Platinum Award’ - Company’s Top Honor for Hospital Quality

Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center (CPRMC) was honored today as one of four ScionHealth-owned hospitals to earn the “Platinum Award,” the top recognition attainable within the company’s National Quality Strategy. ScionHealth leaders presented the award at a ceremony at Carolina Pines, which is one of 85 hospitals owned by ScionHealth on campuses in 28 states. ScionHealth launched its National Quality Strategy in 2023, and CPRMC was also a Platinum Award winner in the program’s initial year.

“We are excited to once again be recognized as a top-performing hospital at ScionHealth in terms of the overall quality of care we provide to our patients,” said Brian Sponseller, Interim CEO of Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center. “The 80-plus hospitals that participate in the company’s quality program boast teams of highly skilled, compassionate, and competitive healthcare professionals vying to be among the best. It’s quite an achievement to earn the top honor and a testament to my wonderful colleagues at Carolina Pines who always put the patient first and always find ways to improve what we do.”

The ScionHealth National Quality Strategy promotes best practices and measures the success of its hospitals’ quality performance over a 12-month period. The rigorous program enables and empowers hospitals to continuously improve patient care, safety, and satisfaction with an underlying goal of zero patient harm. The Platinum Award recipients for the 2024 year – Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center, Kindred Hospital Clear Lake (Webster, Texas), Kindred Hospital Paramount (California), and Watertown (Wisconsin) Regional Medical Center – outperformed all other ScionHealth hospitals while achieving exceptional quality performance.

“Carolina Pines is an exceptional hospital that serves as a model for ScionHealth and hospitals across the country,” said Russell Pigg, President of ScionHealth’s Community Hospital Division. “The Platinum Award and the many national recognitions earned by the hospital are a testament to the extraordinary team and the culture they’ve created around high-quality, safe, and compassionate care.”

The ScionHealth National Quality Strategy Platinum Award adds to Carolina Pines’ recent bounty of national accolades. In May, the hospital was awarded an “A” grade for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit group that sets standards for excellence in patient safety and care. It was CPRMC’s seventh consecutive A grade, earning the hospital Leapfrog’s elite “Straight A” designation.

In December, Carolina Pines was named a “Top General Hospital” by The Leapfrog Group, one of the most competitive awards American hospitals can receive ‒ only 35 of approximately 4,000 eligible hospitals across the country attained the honor. CPRMC was one of 153 hospitals nationwide to be included in Becker’s 2023 listing of “Great Community Hospitals,” and the Carolina Pines’ employed Medical Practice attained recognition in 2024 and 2023 as a Patient-Centered Medical Home from the National Center for Quality Assurance.

The ScionHealth National Quality Strategy measures hospital quality over the six domains of healthcare quality established by the Institute of Medicine. Each domain features a mix of clinical metrics and best practices that include clinical protocols, training, and leadership. The more a hospital succeeds in each category, the more likely it will achieve better results in terms of patient safety, outcomes, and experiences. Here is a brief overview of each domain, including key metrics that are scored:

• Effective – The hospital provides evidence-based care to all who could benefit, and refrains from providing services to those not likely to benefit, avoiding both underuse and misuse. Key ScionHealth metrics: success in combating sepsis, sepsis prevention training, appropriate blood utilization, and safety around drug diversion and opioid stewardship.
• Efficient – Through strong teamwork and open communication, the hospital reduces waste and allows time and resources to be optimized toward effective patient care. Key ScionHealth metrics: length-of-stay improvement, readmission rates, and antibiotic stewardship efforts.
• Equitable – The hospital’s patients should have the opportunity to achieve their highest health potential, regardless of socially determined circumstances. Key ScionHealth metrics: initiatives and progress in addressing healthcare disparities.
• Patient-Centered – The hospital’s patients are its top priority. The hospital cares for their physical comfort and emotional well-being and respects patient and family preferences and values. By involving patients and families in care-plan development, the hospital improves healing and recovery. Key ScionHealth metrics: HCAHPS patient survey results (administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), effective implementation of foundational behaviors, bedside shift reports, rounding best practices, and more.
• Safe – By approaching patient safety initiatives holistically and systemically, the hospital strives to make safe care ordinary and routine. Key ScionHealth metrics: assessment of areas of harm reduction such as preventing/reducing falls, central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and C. difficile (a colon infection); improvement in safety event reporting, and related safety training.
• Timely – Timeliness of care is a crucial aspect of improving patient outcomes. By accurately assessing and appropriately addressing the urgency of care, the hospital strives to reduce harmful delays and minimize waste. Key ScionHealth metrics: improvement in Emergency Department throughput and primary care access, among other things.

“The ScionHealth National Quality Strategy challenges each hospital and each team member to ingrain quality and safety in everything they do,” said Dean French, Chief Medical Officer at ScionHealth. “The program is specific, measurable, and adaptive – the continuous improvement and best practice-sharing it encourages from within our family of hospitals positively impacts the entire organization. We were thrilled to experience the year-over-year improvement achieved by Carolina Pines and so many of our hospitals, and excited to see how the progress we’ve made on our quality journey continues to elevate patient care.”

About Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center

As part of the ScionHealth network of hospitals, Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center (CPRMC) provides high-quality healthcare services to the people of several counties in northeastern South Carolina. Patients have come to rely on our experienced, skilled staff and physicians to provide them with the highest level of care and compassion. Through the facilities on our campus, including a 116-bed acute care hospital and an adjoining medical office building, we provide comprehensive services with two things in mind: the care and comfort of our patients. Learn more about CPRMC at www.cprmc.com. 

About ScionHealth

ScionHealth is committed to delivering high-quality, patient-centered hospital care by empowering the hands that heal to do what they do best. The health system is focused on driving innovation, serving its communities, and investing in people and technology to deliver compassionate patient care and excellent health outcomes. Headquartered in Louisville, ScionHealth operates 85 hospital campuses, including 68 long-term acute care hospitals and 17 short-term acute care hospitals, as well as senior living locations across 28 states. For more information, visit ScionHealth.com.