GSMC One of the Nation's 100 Top Hospitals® by Fortune and PINC AI™

Myrtle Beach, SC – Grand Strand Medical Center was identified today as one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® according to an independent quality analysis provided by PINC AI™ and reported by Fortune. 

To create the list, an objective, quantitative analysis of publicly available data was conducted to identify the top hospitals in the United States. The primary purpose of the PINC AI™ 100 Top Hospitals® program is to inspire hospital and health system leaders to pursue higher performance and deliver added value to patients and communities. The program leverages transparent, nonbiased data to help inform strategies for sustained performance. Organizations do not apply to participate in the study, and award winners do not pay to market their honor. 

“Our keys to success are following protocols, maintaining consistency and making high-quality care part of the culture of our health system. From morning staff huddles to hospital board meetings, conversations are anchored by how we are delivering quality care. It’s a team effort,” says Dr. George Helmrich, Chief Medical Officer of Grand Strand Medical Center. He also says quality care is now ingrained as part of the culture. 

The hospital is part of HCA Healthcare. Dr. Helmrich says, “The beauty of HCA Healthcare is that we have a ton of clinical experience at our fingertips, and collectively we truly know the best way to approach virtually everything. Using best practices consistently, creates the best outcomes, and I’m incredibly proud of what our teams have accomplished.” 

100 Top Hospitals® program performance

This year, based on comparisons between the study winners and a peer group of similar hospitals that were not winners, the analysis found that the winners of the 100 Top Hospitals® program delivered better outcomes while operating more efficiently and at a lower cost. Compared to non-winning hospitals, this year’s winners had:

• 31% fewer deaths than non-winning hospitals.
• 9% fewer patients with complications.
• 39% fewer healthcare associated infections (HAIs).
• Nearly 20% lower inpatient expenses per discharge.
• 0.5-day shorter average length of stay.
• Better reported patient experience scores, with a top-box Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) score of 77 percent versus 70 percent for non-winning hospitals. 

“As hospitals continue to share the nation’s focus on changing healthcare for the better, hospitals and health systems are recognizing the importance of identifying areas within their walls for quality improvement,” said Leigh Anderson, Premier’s Chief Operating Officer and the leader of PINC AI™. “The transparent and nonbiased measures this study provides, helps leaders make informed decisions for change, and proves that Grand Strand Medical Center excels across a range of core performance indicators, which can directly lead to significantly higher quality patient outcomes, with fewer readmissions and complications.” 

About the Study

The PINC AI™ 100 Top Hospitals® program focuses on short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals that treat a broad spectrum of patients. Premier conducted the PINC AI™ 100 Top Hospitals® program study in August 2023. Researchers evaluated 2,644 short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals and health systems. All research was based on the following public data sets: Medicare cost reports, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) data, and data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Care Compare website. For complete methodology details, please review the Methodology section on page 36 of the complete study here. 

Eligible hospitals are ranked for performance across 10 measurement grouping areas. 

Final rank is determined based on performance for all individual measures. Hospitals are ranked within five separate peer groups: major teaching hospitals (15 winning facilities), teaching hospitals (25 winning facilities), large community hospitals (20 winning facilities), medium community hospitals (20 winning facilities), and small community hospitals (20 winning facilities).