Memorial receives highest nursing credential with prestigious Magnet® Recognition…again!

This voluntary credentialing program for hospitals recognizes excellence in nursing and is the highest honor an organization can receive for professional nursing practice.

Memorial Regional Health Services, which includes Memorial Hospital Belleville, Memorial Hospital East and Memorial Care Center, again has attained Magnet® recognition as part of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Recognition Program®.

This is the third re-designation for Memorial Belleville and Memorial Care Center and the first for Memorial East, who just recently celebrated its second anniversary.

The announcement was made this morning by ANCC officials noting it was a unanimous decision of the ANCC Magnet commission.  They cited Memorial for three exemplar programs which demonstrated the significant contributions made by nursing staff to improve patient outcomes and in outperforming benchmarks.

Magnet® recognition has become the gold standard for nursing excellence and is taken into consideration when the public judges healthcare organizations.

To achieve initial Magnet® recognition, organizations must pass a rigorous and lengthy process that demands widespread participation from leadership and staff. The process begins with the submission of an electronic application, followed by written documentation demonstrating qualitative and quantitative evidence regarding patient care and outcomes. If scores from the written documentation fall within a range of excellence, an on-site visit will occur to thoroughly assess the applicant. After this rigorous onsite review process, the Commission on Magnet® will review the completed appraisal report and vote to determine whether Magnet® recognition will be granted.

An organization seeking to reapply for Magnet® recognition must provide documented evidence of how Magnet® concepts, performance, and quality were sustained and improved over the four-year period since the hospital received its initial recognition.

In particular, the Magnet® model is designed to provide a framework for nursing practice, research, and measurement of outcomes. Through this framework, ANCC can assess applicants across a number of components and dimensions to gauge an organization’s nursing excellence.

The foundation of this model is composed of various elements deemed essential to delivering superior patient care. These include the quality of nursing leadership and coordination and collaboration across specialties, as well as processes for measuring and improving the quality and delivery of care.

Magnet® recognition has been shown to provide specific benefits to hospitals and their communities, such as:

  • Higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, availability of help, and receipt of discharge information;
  • Lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure to rescue;
  • Higher job satisfaction among nurses; and
  • Lower nurse reports of intentions to leave position.

Being recognized as a Magnet® facility for the third time is a great achievement for Memorial, as it continues to proudly belong to the Magnet® community—a select group of 475 healthcare organizations out of nearly 6,000 in the United States.  There are 40 Magnet® organizations in Illinois.

Memorial was initially designated a Magnet® organization in 2008. Hospitals must reapply for Magnet® recognition every four years based on adherence to Magnet® concepts and demonstrated improvements in patient care and quality.

Memorial is among these BJC HealthCare facilities with the prestigious Magnet® designation:  Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Missouri Baptist Medical Center, St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Boone Hospital.

 

About Memorial Regional Health Services

Memorial Regional Health Services (MRHS) is a non-profit organization which is part of BJC HealthCare.  It is the parent organization of Memorial Hospital Belleville, Memorial Hospital East, and Memorial Care Center.  Mark J. Turner serves as president.

  • Memorial Hospital Belleville is a 222-bed acute care MAGNET designated hospital offering emergency and critical care services as well as medical, surgical and obstetrics along with a full complement of diagnostic and treatment services.Also located on the Belleville campus, The Orthopedic and Neurosciences Center offers a comprehensive rehabilitation program that includes physical, occupational, speech and hand therapy.
  • Memorial Hospital East is a 94-all private bed MAGNET designated hospital located in Shiloh, Illinois.Memorial Hospital East offers a 24/7 emergency department, medical, surgical and diagnostic services including cardiac catheterization, imaging and laboratory.The Family Care Birthing Center features 16 spacious LDRP suites, two dedicated c-section rooms and neonatology coverage.
  • Memorial Care Center is an 82-bed award winning skilled rehab nursing facility located adjacent to Memorial Hospital Belleville.

 

About the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program®

The Magnet Recognition Program® administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the largest and most prominent nurses credentialing organization in the world, recognizes healthcare organizations that provide the very best in nursing care and professionalism in nursing practice. The Magnet Recognition Program® serves as the gold standard for nursing excellence and provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care. For more information about the Magnet Recognition Program® and current statistics, visit www.nursecredentialing.org/magnet.