Human Centered Design

Clinical Growth and Expertise

MUSC Health Expands to Provide Better Access to Complex Care

The only academic medical center in South Carolina and one of about 120 nationwide, MUSC Health has experienced growth and expansion over the past three years, providing better access to complex, high-end care for all South Carolinians. In 2019, MUSC Health welcomed four community hospitals to the system: Chester Regional Medical Center, Springs Memorial Hospital in Lancaster, Carolinas Hospital System – Florence and Carolinas Hospital System – Marion. The facilities have been renamed to: MUSC Health Chester Medical Center, MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center, MUSC Health Florence Medical Center, and MUSC Health Marion Medical Center. In 2020, the new MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital and Pearl Tourville Women’s Pavilion opened. This facility is among the most well-equipped and technologically advanced facilities of its kind in the nation, transforming pediatric and women’s health care for the entire state and region for generations to come.

At the same time, the new R. Keith Summey Medical Pavilion, designed for pediatric sub-specialty care, opened in North Charleston. Other new facilities that opened in 2019 and 2020 include MUSC Health West Ashley Medical Pavilion, MUSC Health Grove Road(Greenville), and MUSC Health Nexton.2021 saw more growth and expansion with the announcement that the Medical University of South Carolina and Medical University Hospital Authority Board of Trustees voted to purchase Providence Health and Kershaw Health, currently part of LifePoint Health. The acquisition includes three community hospitals, a freestanding emergency department and affiliated physician practice locations serving communities in the Midlands. With these acquisitions and new facilities, we are increasing the reach of our network, enhancing our ability to deliver the highest-quality care at maximum efficiency as well as greater value for more communities statewide. Looking to the future, as our community continues to expand, the need for comprehensive health care services will increase and MUSC Health will be positioned to provide these services.

MUSC Health and MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital Ranked Number 1 Hospitals in South Carolina

MUSC Health was named the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina by U.S. News & World Report. The new rankings also placed the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in the No. 1 position for the state. Four specialty programs within the children's hospital have been singled out by U.S. News & World Report for national recognition: cardiology and heart surgery, nephrology (kidney), gastroenterology and gastrointestinal (GI) surgery and cancer. The cardiology program maintains its spot among the top 12 children’s heart programs in the United States. Criteria include children’s survival rate after complex heart surgery, along with the level of specialized staff, services and technologies, and the ability to prevent infections. The nephrology program at the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital ranks No. 30 in the U.S. That means it excels when it comes to the survival rate of children who have kidney transplants, the management of dialysis and infection prevention, and other factors. The program maintains its status as the highest ranked children’s kidney program in South Carolina. The GI and GI surgery program is no stranger to the U.S. News & World Report rankings, either. For the 13thyear in a row, it made the grade, coming in at No. 42.Finally, the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital’s cancer program ranks No. 44 on the list of "Best Children’s Hospitals for Cancer."

MUSC & Surgical Expertise Recognized Nationally

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield Distinction® for Transplant in Adult Kidney Cadaveric, Adult Kidney Living, Pediatric Heart, Pediatric Kidney and Pediatric Liver
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield Distinction® Center+ designation in Adult Heart Transplant
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield Distinction® Center+ designation in Cardiac Care
  • U.S. News & World Report recognizes MUSC Health as a High Performing Hospital for Aortic Valve Surgery
  • MUSC Islet Transplantation Program is the second largest islet transplantation program in the world based on volume
  • U.S. News & World Report children's cardiology and heart surgery program among the top 12 programs in the country
  • MUSC Children’s Pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program is recognized as one of the top ten programs in the U.S. with Platinum Designation as an ELSO Center of Excellence
  • The trauma center at MUSC Children’s Health has become the only kids’ trauma center in the state to achieve Level 1 verification from the American College of Surgeons
  • MUSC Health is the only adult trauma center in the Lowcountry to receive Level 1 verification from the ACS
  • Hollings Cancer Center receives NAPRC Certification for rectal surgery. We are one of twenty two centers in the U.S. to receive this designation.

Clinical Growth

With more than 30 new faculty joining our team over the past five years, capital investments in robotic and hybrid operating rooms, a new state-of-the-art children's hospital, clinic expansion across the state, and a positive downstream effect from the new organ allocation guidelines, the department experienced significant clinical growth in nearly all divisions.

Growth in the Department of Surgery

Across the Continuum of Care: Our Commitment to Quality, Expertise and Culture

Since 2015, the South Carolina Surgical Quality Collaborative (SCSQC) has partnered with engaged surgical leaders across the state to establish a collaborative quality improvement structure designed to achieve measurable reductions in post-operative complications and lower general surgery costs. Mark Lockett, M.D. serves as surgeon lead for the SCSQC. Over the last six years, SCSQC member hospitals showed improved surgical outcomes and developed sustainability. Membership in SCSQC is supported by the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Rewarding Excellence Program and the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Service’s value based payment program. Morbidity rates in member hospitals decreased 23% relative to rates when SCSQC started. Hospitals are also improving management protocols to get patients out of the hospital sooner, with less pain, and with lower need for opioid prescriptions.

This year the department has focused on strategic recruitment in surgical specialties to better serve our community and build our growing clinical expertise. We are committed to working with our community partners to improve the quality and value of care through innovation and collaboration.

OUR COMMITMENT IS REFLECTED IN A TANGIBLE WAY

We are steadfast in our commitment to improve our culture:

  • creating an inclusive workforce with a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives,
  • improving faculty, resident and staff wellness and resiliency, and
  • supporting our faculty and trainees through mentorship and leadership development to become nationally-recognized surgical leaders.

Paving a path forward, Dr. Baliga created three new positions in the department: vice chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, vice chair of Personal Development and Well-being, and vice chair of Faculty Development.

Creating a More Inclusive Culture

Sharee Wright MDIn order to better understand our patients' medical needs, we must also understand their backgrounds, including culture, ethnicity, race, gender identification, and religious beliefs. The Department of Surgery is dedicated to ensuring the voices of our patients, trainees, staff, faculty, and patients are heard, their thoughts respected and their feelings valued. Sharee Wright, M.D. joined the department in March 2021 as a clinical associate professor of vascular surgery and associate vice chair of Education in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. To continue to expand our focus on diversity, equity and inclusion within our talented team, Dr. Wright has been named the vice chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for FY-22. Dr. Wright is looking forward to sharing her experiences, mentoring aspiring minority and female physicians, and working with the faculty, residents and staff to create a more inclusive and equitable environment in the department and at MUSC.

Nurturing our Body and Souls

Andrea Abbott MD MSCRAndrea Abbott, M.D. MSCR has been a champion of wellbeing for our residents and fellows. Under her leadership, new initiatives in wellness improved resident and fellow satisfaction scores. Based on the successful resident programming and realizing we need to take care of ourselves to be able to take care of others, Dr. Abbott has been named the new vice chair of Personal Development and Well-being with the goal of increasing wellness and reducing faculty burnout.

Developing the Next Generation of Surgical  Leaders

David Mahvi, MDAs we continue to expand our surgical care team, providing a foundation for successful leadership development and mentorship is paramount. David Mahvi, M.D. was named the vice chair of Faculty Development. In his new role, he will lead the charge of programmatic development for leadership and mentorship, providing a strong foundation for our faculty to become nationally-recognized surgical leaders. The initial process will be a department wide Peer-to-Peer Mentoring program. Faculty will be paired with other faculty outside their divisions. Our hope is that this gives our surgeons another outlet for both mentoring and being mentored with a focus on clinical outcomes.