Magnet Recognition: What it means for Excela Health. What it means for the patients we serve.

This past December, Excela Health announced that it had achieved Magnet Recognition® from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). In 2014, Excela Health began a journey for the system to earn what is considered the highest and most prestigious distinction a healthcare organization can receive for nursing excellence and superiority in patient care.

Just 8 percent of the nation’s 6,300 hospitals have garnered Magnet status. In Pennsylvania, only 35 of nearly 250 hospitals carry the recognition.

Our Magnet journey represented a paradigm shift at Excela whereby we moved our nursing focus from one centered primarily on structure and process to one that put at the forefront indicators for clinical quality, patient satisfaction and the overall nursing environment. We no longer simply examine “what we do.” Now, we ask, “What difference have we made?”

While we in the Excela family take great pride in this latest accolade for our three hospitals, we suspect individuals outside of healthcare would be hard-pressed to come up with an answer if asked what Magnet Recognition® is or means, and the positive impact it has on our region. Thus, some context will help to provide insight as to the significance of Magnet Recognition®.

The Magnet program was initially formed in 1990 as the Magnet Hospital Recognition Program for Excellence in Nursing Services. Its criteria were based on findings from a study conducted by a task force of the American Academy of Nursing, which identified 14 characteristics that created an environment conducive to attracting and retaining well-qualified nurses who promoted quality care.

Essentially, Magnet Recognition® is a road map for nursing excellence. It is not a “prize” or an “award.” Rather, it is a performance-driven recognition credential that is earned only after participating in a rigorous and lengthy review process that demonstrates qualitative and quantitative evidence regarding patient care and outcomes.

Growing data and research demonstrate that Magnet status has a dramatic and positive impact on quality of care, levels of service and control of costs in the hospital setting.

Moreover, research also indicates that the Magnet culture stimulates quality and positive organizational behavior that ultimately improves outcomes such as lower patient-fall and hospital-acquired infection rates.

Safety is also enhanced at Magnet hospitals. The Gallop organization found nurses in Magnet organizations to be more engaged in their work, which has a direct correlation to patient safety. Gallop estimates Magnet hospitals, on average, experience over seven percent fewer safety-related incidents than the industry norm. Their survey also found Magnet hospitals have fewer RN workplace injuries and lower blood and body fluid exposure.

Nurses in Magnet facilities spend more time at the bedside. This high level of interaction often contributes to a faster recovery and higher patient satisfaction scores.

Magnet recognition is also used as a criterion by U.S. News & World Report when it determines its annual listing of “America’s Best Hospitals.” The overwhelming majority of the list’s Honor Roll hospitals are Magnet recognized.

Being a Magnet hospital also enhances the ability to recruit and retain the best and brightest nurses in their respective specialties.

It is important to underscore that our journey to Magnet Recognition® has been as important as the destination. It built visionary nurse leaders at all levels. It catalyzed the development and dissemination of extraordinary nursing strategies and practices. It made us better; as nurses and as a health system.

The hospitals of Excela Health — Frick, Latrobe and Westmoreland — have served our county and our region for more than 100 years. Over those decades, we have endeavored to grow and enhance our capabilities to meet the evolving needs and expectations of our patients and their loved ones. Not just in nursing but across the spectrum of our clinical and support teams, physician expertise and technology.

Those endeavors have most recently resulted in a U.S News & World Report designation in their 2019-2020 “Best Regional Hospitals” list and now Magnet Recognition® by the ANCC.

These achievements actualize the Excela mission to improve the health and well-being of every life we touch. They are a tangible expression of our commitment to the communities we serve.

They are a reflection of that commitment being met.

Sponsored by Excela Health.