Sprenger Healthcare of Bluffton
60 Okatie Village Drive, Bluffton, SC 29909 · Jasper County · 60 certified beds · avg 58 residents/day · certified since Jul 1, 2019
Part of chain: SPRENGER HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS (12 facilities, chain avg rating 3.3★)
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★★★★★5/5 · CMS overall rating: 5/5
The health inspection star above is graded on a curve within each state — a set share of each state's facilities gets each star level — so a facility can have few citations and still rate 2–3 stars if others in its state did even better. The overall rating combines that inspection score with staffing and self-reported quality measures.
Most serious findings (actual harm or immediate jeopardy)
▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Nov 19, 2022 · F-0880
The facility did not have or follow an effective program to prevent and control infections — such as proper hand washing, cleaning, and isolation practices. This is the most commonly cited deficiency nationwide.
Why it matters: Weak infection control lets illnesses like flu, COVID-19, and drug-resistant infections spread quickly among vulnerable residents.
Severity (J): Inspectors found a situation that put a resident's life or safety in immediate danger, affecting one or a few residents. The facility must fix it immediately — these citations often come with large fines.
Corrected: Dec 16, 2022 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
All citations in the current public record (5)
CMS publishes roughly the last three inspection cycles plus recent complaint investigations. Older surveys drop out of the record as new ones are completed.
| Date | Severity | What the facility was cited for |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 19, 2022 | ▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-off | The facility did not have or follow an effective program to prevent and control infections — such as proper hand washing, cleaning, and isolation practices. This is the most commonly cited deficiency nationwide. |
| Nov 19, 2022 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility's medication error rate was 5 percent or higher — meaning too many doses were given incorrectly, such as the wrong drug, dose, or time. |
| Nov 19, 2022 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not label drugs according to professional standards or did not store them in locked compartments, with controlled drugs (medications with a high risk of misuse) kept under a separate lock. |
| Nov 19, 2022 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide the help residents need with basic daily activities — like bathing, dressing, eating, and using the bathroom — for residents who cannot do these things on their own. |
| Nov 19, 2022 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not keep residents free from significant medication errors — such as giving the wrong drug, the wrong dose, or missing a critical medication. |
Inspection trend by year
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 5 | 1 | J ▲ |
Counts reflect the current CMS public record (~3 inspection cycles plus complaint investigations); years with no surveys show no row. Inspection frequency varies, so compare severity as well as counts.
Fines and enforcement (last 3 years)
No fines or payment denials in the published 3-year window.
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
| Measure | This facility | South Carolina avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 4.06 | 4.08 | 3.95 | top 42% in South Carolina; top 37% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 0.86 | 0.67 | 0.69 | top 17% in South Carolina; top 23% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 3.55 | 3.55 | 3.50 | top 40% in South Carolina; top 40% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.65 | 0.41 | 0.48 | top 14% in South Carolina; top 19% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 62.5 | 45.9 | 45.8 | bottom 12% in South Carolina; bottom 13% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 75.0 | 42.1 | 42.9 | bottom 9% in South Carolina; bottom 9% in the U.S. |
Hours are per resident per day, case-mix adjusted by CMS so facilities caring for sicker residents can be compared fairly (same basis as the CMS staffing star). "Top X%" means better than most facilities: more staffing hours, or lower turnover. Raw (unadjusted) reported hours: total 3.58, RN 0.75, weekend 3.13. Staffing rating: 3/5.
Self-reported quality measures
Note: these ratings are based on data the facility reports about itself to CMS. They are not independently verified by inspectors, and can look better than inspection findings. Give more weight to the inspection results above.
Quality measures rating: 4/5 · long-stay residents: 5/5 · short-stay residents: 3/5
Who owns this facility
For profit - Corporation
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHCS INC | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 100% | 02/17/2016 |
| Sprenger, Nicole | Individual | 5% or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest | 50% | 02/17/2016 |
| Sprenger, Tracey | Individual | 5% or Greater Indirect Ownership Interest | 50% | 02/17/2016 |
| Castor, David | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2022 |
| Castor, David | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/2022 |
| Citrin Cooperman and Company, LLP | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/01/2025 |
| CMS & Co. Management Services, INC. | Organization | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/17/2016 |
| CMS & Co. Management Services, INC. | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 09/09/2025 |
| Courtock, Melissa | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/02/2002 |
| Courtock, Melissa | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/02/2002 |
| Dawson Thompson, Nakeisha | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/13/2025 |
| Dawson Thompson, Nakeisha | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/13/2025 |
| Delta Health Care Consultants, INC. | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2008 |
| Epperly, Robert | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/20/2022 |
| Epperly, Robert | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/20/2022 |
| Fox, Emily | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/31/2024 |
| Fox, Emily | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/31/2024 |
| Fox, Emily | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 12/31/2024 |
| Gollinger, Kristen | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/13/2000 |
| Gollinger, Kristen | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/13/2000 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
- "What is your current medication error rate, and what have you changed to bring errors down?"
- "Can you show me how medications are stored and secured on the units, including controlled drugs?"
- "How many aides are on each shift, and how do you make sure every resident gets timely help with bathing, dressing, and meals?"
- "What systems do you use to prevent medication errors, and what happens when one occurs?"
- "What is your current ratio of nursing staff to residents on day, evening, and weekend shifts?"
- "Can I see the results and plan of correction from your most recent state inspection?"
Nearby facilities (within 20 miles)
| Facility | Distance | City | Overall | Inspection | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHC Healthcare - Bluffton | 1.5 mi | Okatie, SC | ★★★★☆ | 4/5 | |
| The Preston Health Center | 12.9 mi | Hilton Head Island, SC | ★★★★★ | 5/5 | |
| Broad Creek Care Center | 13.1 mi | Hilton Head Island, SC | ★★★★★ | 4/5 | |
| Life Care Center of Hilton Head | 14.2 mi | Hilton Head Island, SC | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | abuse |
| Fraser Health Center | 14.7 mi | Hilton Head Island, SC | ★★★★☆ | 3/5 | |
| Ridgeland Nursing Center INC | 14.7 mi | Ridgeland, SC | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Sprenger Health Care of Port Royal | 16.0 mi | Port Royal, SC | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Pruitthealth - Seaside | 16.4 mi | Port Wentworth, GA | ★★★☆☆ | 3/5 | |
| Resorts at Beaufort | 17.0 mi | Beaufort, SC | ★★★☆☆ | 3/5 |
Compare this facility with the 3 closest →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 425415.