South Carolina Nursing Homes: Violations, Fines and Worst Records

According to the federal nursing home data published by CMS, the federal Medicare agency, 147 of South Carolina's 187 certified nursing homes are operated by for-profit companies. Statewide, daily nurse staffing fell below the CMS standard tied to residents' needs at 91 of 185 reporting facilities. On average, homes across the state give each resident 3.84 total nurse hours a day, a figure just below the 3.86-hour national average. In a year, 45.9% of nursing staff left the state's facilities, almost the same as the national 45.8%.

Kitchen safety was South Carolina's most cited violation: kitchen and food-storage rules drew 176 citations during the past three inspection rounds. Counting only violations that harmed residents or created immediate danger, inspectors recorded 79 citations for accident risks and poor supervision statewide. Since September 2023, the state's largest single federal penalty has been $165,757, imposed by CMS on C M Tucker Jr Nursing Care Center Fewell and Stone in Columbia during January 2024.

Also known as CMS Surveys, the SC Survey and Certification Public CMS-2567 Form Interface System lets families read state inspection findings. That state portal spans the most recent three federal fiscal years, with search choices for date, county, city, or a South Carolina facility's name. Complaint, recertification, life safety code, and initial surveys appear in the database next to the plan of correction for each home in South Carolina. Certified facilities across the state also have a page on Medicare Care Compare, a federal search site once known as Nursing Home Compare. Families can open each home's statement of federal deficiencies (Form CMS-2567) there.

South Carolina Department of Public Health, Healthcare Quality accepts state healthcare complaints from people who find unsafe care in a facility; another option is calling 1-800-922-6735. To get help working through resident concerns, families can call 1-800-868-9095 to reach the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program at the South Carolina Department on Aging. For suspected neglect or abuse involving a vulnerable adult, dial 1-888-227-3487; Adult Protective Services takes these reports in the state.