Medical centers from the Upstate to the Lowcountry are among the 10 best hospitals in South Carolina, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking.
Hospitals are rated on a variety of factors, including 14 adult services and 23 procedures based on data from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, professional organizations, medical specialists, and other sources.
These factors include mortality rates, readmission rate and length of stay, said Chelsey Wen, a senior health data analyst at U.S. News & World Report. Patient experience, outcomes, and preventable complications also were among the factors evaluated.
All of the hospitals listed had at least eight high-performing ratings across the procedures and conditions, Wen said.
“A hospital named among the U.S. News Best Hospitals has demonstrated its commitment to high-quality care, especially in achieving successful outcomes for patients,” Ben Harder, U.S. News’ managing editor and chief of health analysis said in a release. “A Best Hospitals recognition reflects consistent top-tier medical care to its community.”
MUSC Health-University Medical Center in Charleston was the No. 1 ranked hospital in the state, and also No. 1 in Charleston, according to the report.
Lexington Medical Center in West Columbia ranked No. 2, and also No. 1 in Columbia, while Roper Hospital in Charleston ranked third, and also second in Charleston.
Prisma Health Richland Hospital in Columbia came in fourth statewide, as well as second in Columbia, and Bon Secours St. Francis Health System-Greenville ranked No. 5, as well as No. 1 in Greenville, according to the report.
Grand Strand Regional Medical Center in Myrtle Beach was No. 6, while Beaufort Memorial Hospital in Beaufort, HCA Healthcare Trident Hospital in Charleston, and Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital in Greenville were tied for No. 7, according to the report.
McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence came in at No. 10.
HCA Healthcare was also ranked No. 3 in Charleston while Prisma Health Greenville ranked No. 2 in Greenville.
Grand Strand, Beaufort Memorial, and McLeod Regional were not ranked by city because they are not in a major metropolitan area, Wen said.
"These rankings are indicative of the fact that South Carolina hospitals are some of the very best in the nation,” said Thornton Kirby, CEO of the South Carolina Hospital Association
“These kinds of recognitions — from US News, Leapfrog, and others—have been consistently earned by our members thanks to a standard of care that is the culmination of more than two decades of collective effort,” he added.
“That's why we started our Zero Harm Awards program back in 2013, because South Carolina hospitals have committed themselves to delivering the best possible care by sharing best practices, learning from each other, and constantly striving for greater levels of quality and reliability," he said.
MUSC said this is the 12th straight year that it was named the No. 1 hospital in the state, adding that it also ranked No. 1 in South Carolina for cancer care.
"This recognition belongs to our dedicated teams across the state who continually strive to improve the lives of those we serve,” Dr. Patrick J. Cawley, CEO of MUSC Health and executive vice president for Health Affairs, University, said in a release.
“As South Carolina's only public statewide health system, we remain committed to delivering world-class care close to home,” he added. “Being recognized as the state's top cancer hospital while advancing our future comprehensive cancer hospital reflects our continued investment in transforming cancer care for generations of South Carolinians."
Kirk Jenkins, Lexington Health president and CEO, said the hospital is “incredibly honored to be recognized as one of the best hospitals in the country for the fifth consecutive year” and the second-best hospital in the state.
“Every member of our team — from our talented physicians and clinical professionals to all our support staff — plays an important role in caring for our patients and supporting their families,” he said in a release. “This recognition celebrates our people and their continued commitment to providing our patients and communities with the highest quality care.”
“Being recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of South Carolina’s Top Regional Hospitals is a tremendous honor and a reflection of the dedication, expertise and compassion our colleagues bring to every patient, every day,” said Mark Sims, CEO of Grand Strand Health.
“This recognition reinforces our commitment to delivering exceptional, high-quality care close to home while continuing to invest in the people, programs and technology that help our community live healthier lives,” he added. “We are grateful to our physicians, nurses and colleagues whose unwavering commitment to excellence made this achievement possible.”
In a statement, Bon Secours officials said they are proud to be recognized for the services they provide to the community.
"These designations reflect the dedication of our physicians, nurses and staff who work every day to deliver exceptional care and create a positive experience for our patients," the statement read. "It also highlights our continued focus on quality, safety, and improving the health of the people we serve. We're grateful for the trust our community places in us and remain focused on improving the health and well-being of our community."
Other hospitals could not be reached for comment.
The 2026-‘27 rankings looked at nearly 4,500 hospitals across the country. Some 16 percent made the Best Hospital list for performing significantly above average among the metrics, Wen said.
But many hospitals couldn’t be included because they don’t perform all the services that are evaluated, don’t serve a large enough number of patients, or for other reasons, she said.
Some hospitals earned high-performing rankings in specific areas, for example, Prisma Health Greenville, Bon Secours St. Francis, and MUSC Health, Wen said.
Some South Carolina hospitals also were among the 73 Best Regional Hospitals for Community Access for providing essential services and a lot of care to underserved communities, Wen said. These include Prisma Health Richland, Grand Strand and Lexington Medical Center, she said.
The list also included rankings for Best Specialty Hospital across 15 specialties, including cancer care, cardiology, and orthopedics.
Two South Carolina hospitals made that list, Wen said, noting that MUSC Health ranked No. 10 in the nation for obstetrics and gynecology, while Roper Hospital ranked No. 32 in nation for rehabilitation.
In addition, a Best Hospitals Honor Roll recognized the nation’s best hospitals overall, which represented 20 hospitals across nine states. It did not include South Carolina, Wen said.
To read the full report, go to
https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/best-regional-hospitals?src=usn_pr
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