CMS certification 420082
Aiken Regional Medical Center
302 University Parkway, Aiken, SC 29801
Aiken Regional Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 2 out of 5 stars. 57% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. Of the 22 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 3 and worse on 1. Emergency patients spend a median of 2 h 42 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: 694 completed surveys, 17% 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 · 380 visits sampled · US median for EDs of the same volume: 3 h 21 min | 2 h 42 min | 2 h 38 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Median time for psychiatric and mental health patients Lower is better · 13 visits sampled | 5 h 25 min | 4 h 4 min | 4 h 17 min |
| Left before being seen Lower is better · 69,860 patients | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Stroke symptoms: brain scan read within 45 minutes Higher is better · 20 patients | 80% | 72% | 69% |
| Severe sepsis and septic shock: all recommended care given Higher is better · 183 patients | 56% | 63% | 65% |
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 2,710 cases | Too few cases | 5.2% | 3.9% |
| Heart attack 84 cases | Too few cases | 12.9% | 11.9% |
| Heart failure 330 cases | Too few cases | 12.6% | 11.1% |
| Pneumonia 318 cases | Too few cases | 19.4% | 15.2% |
| Stroke 211 cases | Too few cases | 16.7% | 11.9% |
| COPD 127 cases | Too few cases | 8.1% | 8.6% |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
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 | No different | 1.21 likely 0.83 – 1.59 | 1 |
| After hip or knee replacement 29 cases | Too few cases | 3.5% | 4.1% |
| Deaths after a serious but treatable surgical complication 32 cases | No different | 183.36 per 1,000 likely 129.01 per 1,000 – 237.71 per 1,000 | 173.3 per 1,000 |
| Pressure ulcers (bed sores) 3,119 cases | No different | 0.26 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.13 per 1,000 | 0.63 per 1,000 |
| Collapsed lung caused by a procedure 4,429 cases | No different | 0.23 per 1,000 likely 0.01 per 1,000 – 0.44 per 1,000 | 0.21 per 1,000 |
| Broken bones from falls in the hospital 4,458 cases | No different | 0.32 per 1,000 likely 0.11 per 1,000 – 0.52 per 1,000 | 0.27 per 1,000 |
| Bleeding or hematoma after surgery 769 cases | No different | 2.26 per 1,000 likely 0.66 per 1,000 – 3.85 per 1,000 | 2.34 per 1,000 |
| Kidney injury needing dialysis after surgery 250 cases | No different | 1.94 per 1,000 likely 0.29 per 1,000 – 3.59 per 1,000 | 1.67 per 1,000 |
| Breathing failure after surgery 260 cases | No different | 14.93 per 1,000 likely 6.92 per 1,000 – 22.94 per 1,000 | 9.42 per 1,000 |
| Blood clots in the lungs or legs after surgery 816 cases | No different | 4.1 per 1,000 likely 1.83 per 1,000 – 6.36 per 1,000 | 3.52 per 1,000 |
| Sepsis after surgery 232 cases | No different | 8.98 per 1,000 likely 5.04 per 1,000 – 12.91 per 1,000 | 5.27 per 1,000 |
| Surgical wound splitting open 215 cases | No different | 1.63 per 1,000 likely 0.16 per 1,000 – 3.1 per 1,000 | 1.77 per 1,000 |
| Accidental cut or tear during abdominal surgery 640 cases | No different | 0.91 per 1,000 likely 0 per 1,000 – 1.92 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 | 0.25 likely 0.01 – 1.24 | 1 |
| Urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTI) | No different | 0.37 likely 0.09 – 1.01 | 1 |
| Surgical site infections after colon surgery | No different | 1.21 likely 0.38 – 2.92 | 1 |
| MRSA bloodstream infections | No different | 0.54 likely 0.14 – 1.48 | 1 |
| C. diff intestinal infections | Better | 0.19 likely 0.07 – 0.42 | 1 |
1 more measure had too few cases here to report.
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 148 cases | Too few cases | 14.5% | 14.4% |
| Readmitted after heart failure 573 cases | Too few cases | 23.6% | 21.3% |
| Readmitted after pneumonia 501 cases | Too few cases | 18.4% | 17.3% |
| Readmitted after COPD 270 cases | Too few cases | 19.5% | 20% |
| Readmitted after hip or knee replacement 27 cases | Too few cases | 6.2% | 5.8% |
| Days back in hospital after a heart attack 100 cases | Too few cases | -24.7 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after heart failure 391 cases | Too few cases | -9.4 days per 100 | — |
| Days back in hospital after pneumonia 328 cases | Too few cases | -3.2 days per 100 | — |
| Unplanned visits after an outpatient colonoscopy 872 cases | No different | 14.3 per 1,000 likely 10.9 per 1,000 – 18.7 per 1,000 | 13 per 1,000 |
| Unplanned visits after outpatient surgery 351 cases | No different | 1.2 likely 0.9 – 1.5 | — |
4 more measures had too few cases here to report.
Clinicians registered at this address
64 clinicians give this hospital's street address as their practice location in NPPES, the federal provider registry, plus 47 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 |
|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetist, Certified Registered | 16 |
| Internal Medicine | 11 |
| Physician Assistant | 8 |
| Anatomic Pathology & Clinical Pathology | 7 |
| Emergency Medicine | 3 |
| Family Medicine | 3 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | 2 |
| Family | 2 |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health | 2 |
| Surgery | 2 |
| General Practice | 1 |
| Hospitalist | 1 |
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 $229
- 2020 $381
- 2021 $699
- 2022 $1,300
- 2023 $1,697
- 2024 $115
- 2025 $1,791
What the 2025 general payments were for
| Type of payment | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Medical devices and supplies on long-term loan | $1,366 | 10 |
| Debt forgiveness | $425 | 2 |
Largest paying companies, 2025
| Company | Amount | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Masimo Corporation | $1,366 | 10 |
| Immucor, Inc. | $220 | 1 |
| Aesculap, Inc. | $205 | 1 |
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 Aiken Regional Medical Center
Is Aiken Regional Medical Center a good hospital?
Aiken Regional Medical Center has a CMS overall rating of 2 out of 5 stars. Of the 22 death, complication, infection and readmission measures CMS could compare, it does better than the nation on 3 and worse on 1. These are hospital-wide results published by CMS; they do not rate individual doctors or departments.
Would patients recommend Aiken Regional Medical Center?
57% of patients who answered CMS's national survey would definitely recommend it, against a US average of 71%. The figure comes from 694 completed HCAHPS surveys.
How long is the wait in the Aiken Regional Medical Center emergency room?
Emergency patients spend a median of 2 h 42 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. 1% of emergency patients left before being seen (US 2%). These are medians over a year of visits, not a live wait time.
Does Aiken Regional Medical Center receive money from drug and device companies?
Drug and device makers reported $1,791 in payments to Aiken Regional Medical Center for 2025, under the federal Open Payments program. A payment on its own does not show a conflict of interest.