Dr. Sponseller is in his second year as CEO of Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center, a 116-bed acute-care facility owned by Louisville, Ky.-based ScionHealth with a clinical affiliation with the Charleston-based Medical University of South Carolina. Previously, he spent several years as the hospital’s chief medical officer and leading its primary care practice. He has operational oversight of the hospital and its employed multi-specialty provider practices, leading an organization of more than 700 associates and medical staff. Under his leadership, Carolina Pines earned the Leapfrog Group’s “Top General Hospital” designation in both 2023 and 2024, an honor given to fewer than 40 hospitals nationwide, and its Leapfrog safety grade has improved from a “D” to an “A,” a mark it has maintained for eight consecutive survey cycles. The hospital also earned sepsis certification from the Joint Commission, the first hospital in the state to do so, along with the American Heart Association’s “Gold Plus Get With the Guidelines” award and Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina’s “Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity” designation. Dr. Sponseller launched “Project BOLD,” an employer-paid loan forgiveness program with the South Carolina Student Loan Association that commits participants to a three-year employment term. In addition to his executive role, he serves on the board of directors of the Trent Hill Center for Children & Families and the board of trustees of Coker University.
