UofL Health – UofL Hospital and Brown Cancer Center achieve Magnet® recognition, gold standard of nursing excellence

UofL Health – UofL Hospital and UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center have achieved the highest national recognition awarded to a hospital for excellence in nursing. Magnet status is the gold standard, and a reflection of nursing professionalism, teamwork and superiority in patient care. The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program® distinguishes organizations that meet rigorous standards for nursing excellence.

“Magnet recognition provides our community with the ultimate benchmark to measure the quality of patient care,” said Shari Kretzschmer, UofL Health senior vice president and chief nursing officer. “Achieving Magnet recognition reinforces the culture of excellence that is a cornerstone of how we serve our community. It’s also tangible evidence of our nurses’ commitment to providing the very best care to our patients, of which we are extremely proud.”

With this credential, UofL Hospital and Brown Cancer Center join the global community of Magnet-recognized organizations. Just a small and select group of U.S. health care organizations have achieved Magnet recognition. In Kentucky, UofL Health is one of just five health care systems with nursing teams worthy of the acknowledgement.

“Magnet designation is both a well-deserved honor for our UofL Hospital and Brown Cancer Center nurses and a promise to our patients,” said Tom Miller, UofL Health CEO. “When you have a high-quality nursing team, patients get high-quality care. I’m proud of our nurse leadership and all the nurses on this achievement.”

Research demonstrates that Magnet recognition provides specific benefits to health care organizations 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 rates
• Higher job satisfaction among nurses
• Lower nurse reports of intentions to leave their positions

“The opportunity to be recognized as a Magnet organization is a wonderful reminder of the great work that we do,” said Jill Beierle, UofL Hospital ICU nurse and Nursing Congress chair. “As a nurse, with more than 30 years of experience, at UofL Hospital, Magnet recognition means that we all do our best for every patient and that we are constantly striving toward excellence in care.”

Magnet recognition is a factor when the public judges health care organizations. U.S. News & World Report’s annual showcase of “America’s Best Hospitals” includes Magnet recognition in its ranking criteria for quality of inpatient care.

The Magnet Model provides a framework for nursing practice, research and measurement of outcomes. Through this framework, ANCC evaluates applicants across a number of components and dimensions to gauge an organization’s nursing excellence.

The foundation of this model comprises 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.