CMS certification 420004
MUSC Medical Center
169 Ashley Ave, Charleston, SC 29425
MUSC Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 2 out of 5 stars. 72% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 27 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 3 and worse on 3. Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 25 min in its emergency department before leaving (US median 2 h 42 min).
Every figure on this page is published by CMS; we arrange and explain it, and score nothing ourselves.
What patients said
Answers from patients who stayed here, collected by CMS in the national HCAHPS survey: 1,358 completed surveys, 19% response rate, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.
Emergency department
How long emergency patients spent here and how some time-critical care went, from CMS's timely and effective care measures, Oct 2024 – Sep 2025. CMS classes this emergency department's patient volume as very high; busier departments tend to have longer times, so the national median for departments of the same volume is shown too. These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
| Measure | This hospital | SC | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median time in the emergency department before leaving Lower is better · 374 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 21 min | 3 h 25 min | 2 h 38 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 21 visits sampled | 4 h 21 min | 4 h 4 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 153,177 patients | 4% | 2% | 2% |
| Stroke symptoms: brain scan read within 45 minutes Higher is better · 27 patients | 89% | 72% | 69% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 393 patients | 52% | 63% | 65% |
How MUSC Medical Center compares with nearby hospitals
The closest hospitals of the same kind that CMS rates or surveys - the same city first, then the same county and ZIP area. Every figure is CMS's: the overall star rating, the share of patients who would definitely recommend the hospital, the median time emergency patients spent before leaving, and how many death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS found better or worse than the national rate.
| Hospital | CMS stars | Would recommend | ER median time | Vs the nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUSC Medical CenterThis hospital | 2/5 | 72% | 3 h 25 min | 3 better 3 worse |
| Bon Secours-St Francis Xavier HospitalSame city | 3/5 | 79% | 2 h 33 min | 1 better 3 worse |
| Trident Medical CenterSame city | 3/5 | 65% | 2 h 6 min | 1 better 2 worse |
| Charleston VA Medical CenterSame city | 5/5 | 81% | — | 2 better 1 worse |
| Roper HospitalSame city | 4/5 | 80% | 1 h 36 min | 5 better 2 worse |
| Novant Health East Cooper Medical CenterSame county · Mount Pleasant | 4/5 | 75% | 2 h 23 min | 1 better |
Hospitals differ in size and in how sick their patients are. CMS adjusts its outcome measures for that, but a star or a percentage is a starting point for questions, not a verdict. All hospitals in Charleston.
Deaths
How many patients died within 30 days of admission, adjusted by CMS for how sick they were. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2022 – Jun 2025.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| All patients, hospital-wide 7,015 cases | Too few cases | 3.7% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 228 cases | Too few cases | 10.4% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 559 cases | Too few cases | 11% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 463 cases | Too few cases | 16.9% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 839 cases | Too few cases | 9.8% | 11.9% |
| COPD 164 cases | Too few cases | 7.1% | 8.6% |
| Heart bypass surgery (CABG) 202 cases | Too few cases | 2% | 2.4% |
Complications
How often patients had serious complications, most of them after surgery, adjusted for how sick they were. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2022 – Jun 2024.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious complications, combined measure | Worse | 1.48 likely 1.3 – 1.65 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 66 cases | Too few cases | 5.4% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 405 cases | No different | 184.75 per 1,000 likely 156.29 per 1,000 – 213.22 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 13,310 cases | Worse | 1.91 per 1,000 likely 1.53 per 1,000 – 2.29 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 15,888 cases | No different | 0.22 per 1,000 likely 0.06 per 1,000 – 0.39 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 17,142 cases | No different | 0.24 per 1,000 likely 0.08 per 1,000 – 0.4 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 5,923 cases | No different | 1.91 per 1,000 likely 0.98 per 1,000 – 2.83 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 3,368 cases | No different | 1.67 per 1,000 likely 0.62 per 1,000 – 2.71 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 3,319 cases | No different | 12.03 per 1,000 likely 9.03 per 1,000 – 15.04 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 6,543 cases | No different | 4.13 per 1,000 likely 2.86 per 1,000 – 5.39 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 3,423 cases | No different | 5.28 per 1,000 likely 3.35 per 1,000 – 7.22 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 1,622 cases | No different | 1.18 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 2.43 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 4,407 cases | Worse | 1.84 per 1,000 likely 1.17 per 1,000 – 2.51 per 1,000 | 1.06 per 1,000 |
Infections caught in the hospital
Standardized infection ratio: 1.0 means as many infections as CMS predicted for a hospital like this one. Lower is better. Data from Oct 2024 – Sep 2025.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodstream infections from central lines (CLABSI) | No different | 0.84 likely 0.64 – 1.1 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 0.78 likely 0.56 – 1.08 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | No different | 1.47 likely 0.98 – 2.12 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after abdominal hysterectomy | No different | 1.62 likely 0.71 – 3.2 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.94 likely 0.6 – 1.39 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.52 likely 0.41 – 0.64 | 1 |
Readmissions and return visits
How often patients had to come back to a hospital after going home. Lower is better. Data from Jul 2023 – Jun 2025.
| Measure | CMS comparison | This hospital | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Readmitted after a heart attack 473 cases | Too few cases | 15.4% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 1,099 cases | Too few cases | 21.7% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 730 cases | Too few cases | 19.4% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 380 cases | Too few cases | 21.1% | 20% |
| Readmitted after heart bypass surgery 140 cases | Too few cases | 9.4% | 11% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 62 cases | Too few cases | 6.2% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 354 cases | Too few cases | 5.5 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 682 cases | Too few cases | 14.7 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 483 cases | Too few cases | 45.5 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 3,533 cases | No different | 12.5 per 1,000 likely 10.1 per 1,000 – 15.6 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Hospital admissions during outpatient chemotherapy 904 cases | No different | 10.6 per 100 likely 8.8 per 100 – 12.6 per 100 | 10.7 per 100 |
| ER visits during outpatient chemotherapy 904 cases | No different | 6 per 100 likely 4.7 per 100 – 7.5 per 100 | 5.4 per 100 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 2,273 cases | No different | 0.9 likely 0.8 – 1.1 | — |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
974 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 57 residents and trainees. The same address can take in offices and clinics in the building, and a listing does not prove admitting privileges or current employment.
| Specialty | Clinicians |
|---|---|
| Internal Medicine | 179 |
| Anesthesiology | 92 |
| Pediatrics | 84 |
| Psychiatry | 73 |
| Emergency Medicine | 72 |
| Surgery | 72 |
| Anatomic Pathology & Clinical Pathology | 35 |
| Family Medicine | 35 |
| Obstetrics & Gynecology | 29 |
| Neurology | 23 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 20 |
| Neurological Surgery | 13 |
First 12 alphabetically
Money from drug and device companies
Drug and device makers have to report what they pay teaching hospitals to CMS's Open Payments program. At many teaching hospitals most of it is research funding, or royalties for inventions the hospital licensed to a company. A payment on its own does not show a conflict of interest.
- 2019 $2.4M
- 2020 $2.7M
- 2021 $2.8M
- 2022 $3M
- 2023 $3.6M
- 2024 $2.4M
- 2025 $2.2M
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan | $175,912 | 20 |
| Speaking, teaching and other services | $93,015 | 34 |
| Grants | $82,000 | 8 |
| Space rental and facility fees | $54,400 | 14 |
| Debt forgiveness | $53,003 | 25 |
| Charitable contributions | $41,500 | 2 |
| Consulting fees | $10,000 | 4 |
| Food and beverage | $632 | 13 |
| Gifts | $270 | 3 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | $317,758 | 85 |
| E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | $212,648 | 2 |
| Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. | $204,958 | 6 |
| Medtronic, Inc. | $189,854 | 24 |
| Transmedics, INC. | $150,260 | 4 |
| Exactech, INC. | $93,205 | 8 |
| Intuitive Surgical, INC. | $89,931 | 13 |
| AngioDynamics, Inc. | $73,000 | 2 |
Largest research studies funded here, 2025
| Study | Amount |
|---|---|
| A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of BMS-986278 in Participants With Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis E.R. Squibb & Sons, L.L.C. | $211,364 |
| Cardiac RADIoablation versus repeat catheter Ablation: a pivotal randomized clinical Trial Evaluating safety and efficacy for patients with high-risk Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. | $145,463 |
| OCS-LIVER-OLP-II TRANSMEDICS, INC. | $125,060 |
| CR09-005 EQUINOXE PMCF EXACTECH, INC. | $88,130 |
| STUDY TO CHECK THE SAFETY OF FAZIRSIRAN AND LEARN IF FAZIRSIRAN CAN HELP PEOPLE WITH LIVER DISEASE AND SCARRING (FIBROSIS) DUE TO AN ABNORMAL VERSION… Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | $87,572 |
| Evaluation of the GORE Ascending Stent Graft in the Treatment of Isolated Lesions, Pseudoaneurysms, and Penetrating Aortic Ulcers of Ascending Aorta … W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. · NCT05800743 | $61,692 |
| Cryoablation for Monomorphic Ventricular Tachycardia (FULCRUM-VT) Adagio Medical, Inc. · NCT05675865 | $55,556 |
| A Phase 1/2, Open-Label Safety Trial of GEN3013 in Patients With Relapsed, Progressive or Refractory B-Cell Lymphoma. Genmab U.S., Inc. | $50,536 |
Amounts are as the paying companies reported them to CMS; Open Payments data retrieved 13 Sep 2026. Full record on CMS Open Payments.
How to read this page
- Everything here is published by CMS on Care Compare. We arrange it and explain it; the star ratings and the better / worse verdicts are CMS's, not ours.
- “No different” is the most common result on most measures at most hospitals. CMS only calls a result better or worse when the difference from the national rate is statistically clear.
- Death, complication and readmission rates are adjusted by CMS for how sick patients were, so hospitals that treat sicker patients can be compared fairly.
- Infection results are ratios: 1.0 means as many infections as CMS predicted for a hospital like this one, below 1.0 is fewer.
- These are hospital-wide results. They do not rate an individual doctor, nurse or department, and they are not medical advice.
CMS Care Compare data retrieved 4 Oct 2026, refreshed weekly. Where this data comes from and how we handle it · Report an error
Common questions about MUSC Medical Center
Is MUSC Medical Center a good hospital?
MUSC Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 2 out of 5 stars. Of the 27 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 3 and worse on 3. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend MUSC Medical Center?
72% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 1,358 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the MUSC Medical Center emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 3 h 25 min in its emergency department before leaving (US median 2 h 42 min). Among US emergency departments with very high patient volume, like this one, the median is 3 h 21 min. 4% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
Does MUSC Medical Center receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $2.2M in payments to MUSC Medical Center for 2025, most of it research funding, under the federal Open Payments program. A payment on its own does not show a conflict of interest.