Facility Information
📋 Quick Reference
- Hospital Type: Acute Care Hospitals
- Ownership: Proprietary
- Address: 302 University Parkway, Aiken, SC 29801
- County: Aiken County
- Phone: (803) 641-5900
- Emergency Services: Yes
- Birth-Friendly Designation: Yes — meets CMS criteria
Aiken Regional Medical Center receives a SafeHospitals USA Safety Score of 2.5/10 (Grade F — Poor). This facility scores in the bottom tier of the national CMS dataset across multiple quality measures including patient safety indicators, infection control, and outcome rates. We strongly recommend that patients with planned, non-emergency admissions discuss these ratings with their physician and consider other facilities where geography permits.
How Aiken Regional Medical Center Compares Nationally
Using the 2024 CMS Hospital Compare dataset — the federal government's official source for hospital quality — we analyzed performance across five quality measures. Here is what the data shows for this facility:
Patient Experience & Survey Data
Patient experience surveys (HCAHPS) ask discharged patients about their hospital stay — communication with nurses and doctors, responsiveness of staff, cleanliness, and overall rating. CMS collected 669 completed surveys from Aiken Regional Medical Center patients for the 2024 reporting period.
Survey Rating: ★★☆☆☆ Patient Experience (2.0/5)
Timely Care Score: 103.9 (national average: ~80.0)
This facility's timely care score exceeds the national benchmark, indicating patients are seen and treated promptly — a meaningful indicator for emergency and urgent care situations.
Infection Control Performance
Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are among the most preventable patient safety risks. CMS tracks six HAI measures including central line infections, catheter-related urinary tract infections, surgical site infections, and C. difficile rates. This facility has 12 HAI measures performing better than the national benchmark.
This represents strong infection control performance. Facilities that consistently outperform HAI benchmarks typically maintain rigorous hand hygiene protocols, antimicrobial stewardship programs, and environmental disinfection standards.
Maternity & Birthing Care
✓ Designated as "Birth-Friendly" by Medicare (CMS).
This hospital is designated as Birth-Friendly by CMS, meaning it is committed to high standards of maternal safety and care.
Medicare Billing Cost & Spending
Medicare spends an average of $23,402 per patient episode here, compared to the national average cost of $27,477.
✓ This hospital spends 14.8% less than the national average, making it cost-efficient for Medicare services.
Recovery & Hospital Return Days
This section shows whether discharged patients spent extra days back in the hospital within 30 days of leaving, compared to the national average. Fewer days indicate a safer discharge process and a better recovery at home:
- Heart Failure Patients: Patients spent average of 0.1 fewer days in the hospital after discharge (better than average).
- Pneumonia Patients: Patients spent average of 10.0 fewer days in the hospital after discharge (better than average).
- Heart Attack Patients: Patients spent average of 30.0 fewer days in the hospital after discharge (better than average).
Outpatient Surgery Patient Experience
Based on surveys collected from patients who had outpatient surgery or procedures here, this section shows the percentages of patients who reported highly positive experiences:
- Facility Cleanliness & Respect: 95% of patients reported the facility was clean and the staff were helpful and respectful.
- Procedure Communication: 91% of patients felt the staff explained their surgical procedure clearly.
- Discharge Preparation: 96% of patients received clear instructions on how to handle recovery at home.
- High Patient Rating: 75% of patients gave the outpatient department a rating of 9 or 10 out of 10.
- Willingness to Recommend: 69% of patients would definitely recommend this outpatient department to others.
Inpatient Psychiatric Care Quality
For patients receiving inpatient psychiatric care, Medicare monitors safety indicators to ensure quality treatment:
- 30-Day Readmission Rate: 21.5% of patients were readmitted to a psychiatric facility within 30 days of discharge.
- Metabolic Screening Rate: 96% of patients on antipsychotic medications received screening for metabolic issues.
- Physical Restraints: Physical restraints were used for an average of 0.02 hours per 1,000 patient care hours.
- Seclusion Room: Seclusion rooms were used for an average of 0.01 hours per 1,000 patient care hours.
FAQs
Q. What is the safety grade of AIKEN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER?
Q. Is AIKEN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER designated as Birth-Friendly?
Q. How expensive is care at AIKEN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER compared to the national average?
Q. What do patient surveys say about outpatient surgery at AIKEN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER?
Q. Does AIKEN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER offer emergency services?
About Our Scoring Methodology
Our SafeHospitals USA Safety Score is calculated from the official CMS Hospital Compare dataset using a weighted composite of: hospital-acquired infection rates (HAI, 30% weight), patient safety indicator measures (25%), mortality measure outcomes (20%), 30-day readmission rates (15%), and patient experience survey scores (10%). Scores range from 0–10 and are normalized against the national distribution of all Medicare-certified facilities.
Scores are recalculated annually when CMS releases updated Hospital Compare data. The current scores reflect the 2024 CMS data release, last verified by our data team on March 15, 2026.
