Lowcountry Nursing Homes: A CMS Ratings Snapshot

What the snapshot covers

This table lists every nursing home in the three counties that we could match to CMS's Provider Information data as of October 1, 2026, with the overall rating and the three component ratings, total nurse staffing hours per resident per day and nursing staff turnover. Ratings are shown exactly as CMS publishes them.

Source: CMS Care Compare Provider Information, data as of October 1, 2026.

How the overall rating works

CMS builds the overall rating from three parts. The health inspection rating, based on three years of survey results, carries the most weight. Staffing and quality measure ratings can move the overall up or down. A home with a strong inspection record but thin staffing may still earn four stars, which is why the component ratings deserve a look.

Inspections in South Carolina are carried out by DPH surveyors acting for CMS, and every deficiency cited is published on Care Compare.

Reading staffing and turnover

Across the area's certified homes the middle value for total nurse staffing is 3.61 hours per resident per day, and the middle value for nursing staff turnover is 45.6%. Higher staffing hours generally mean more hands for care; lower turnover usually means staff who know the residents.

Neither number tells the whole story. A home that serves many short-stay rehab patients will staff differently from one that serves long-term residents with dementia. Ask about the specific unit your parent would live on.

What the stars leave out

Star ratings say nothing about food, activities, how a hall feels at night or how well a home communicates with families. They also lag: a home that changed operators recently may perform differently from what three years of data suggest. CMS flags ownership changes in the past 12 months, and our facility pages note them.

Short stays and long stays

Most nursing homes in the three counties serve two groups at once: short-stay patients recovering after a hospital admission, and long-stay residents who live there. CMS publishes separate quality measures for each group. A home can do well at helping rehab patients go home and less well at preventing falls among long-term residents, or the reverse.

If your parent is going for rehab, look at short-stay measures such as rehospitalization and improvement in function. If your parent will live there, look at long-stay measures such as falls with injury, pressure injuries and use of antipsychotic medication.

State enforcement adds another layer

Federal penalties, such as fines and payment denials, appear on Care Compare for a three-year window. South Carolina's own enforcement orders appear separately in DPH's monthly Healthcare Quality reports. Our facility pages list both, so a family can see the full record in one place.

A single citation or fine is not necessarily a reason to rule out a home. What matters is the pattern and the response. Ask the administrator what changed after any serious citation, and read the plan of correction.

Using the snapshot

Build a short list of three or four homes near the family member who will visit most. Read each home's latest inspection report on Care Compare, then visit at a mealtime and in the evening. Ask about agency staff, how families are informed, Medicaid bed availability and where residents went during the last hurricane evacuation.

Every home in the table has its own page in our nursing home directory with its full record.