TriHealth announced today that the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the largest and most prestigious nursing credentialing organization in the United States, has awarded TriHealth with Magnet re-designation for excellence in nursing care at 10 TriHealth locations.
Three TriHealth sites – Good Samaritan Endoscopy Center North, Good Samaritan Surgery Center West, and McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital– received Magnet designations for the first time. Seven TriHealth locations – Bethesda Arrow Springs, Bethesda Butler Hospital, Bethesda North Hospital, Bethesda Surgery Center, Cardiac Rehab at TriHealth Fitness, Good Samaritan Hospital, and Good Samaritan Western Ridge– were re-designated as Magnet locations. The designation process included two virtual site visits across the TriHealth healthcare system involving nearly 100 unit tours and six days of interviews with nearly 1,000 TriHealth team members.
During the virtual site visit, appraisers found strong examples of inter-professional collaboration from TriHealth’s Respiratory Therapy and Environmental Services, in addition to strong nurse-physician relationships. TriHealth’s nurses were also commended for leadership development initiatives that included innovative strategies for staff recognition and succession planning, with many nurse managers and leaders promoted from within the healthcare organization.
The appraisers also noted financial support and resources provided for staff during the COVID-19 pandemic through the TriHealth Member Resource Center. This aid included childcare and emergency financial assistance, incentive bonuses for extra shifts worked, nursing salary adjustments, and workforce bonuses.
Nurses interviewed during a site visit at Good Samaritan Hospital described nursing as “rewarding, caring, supportive, a family/partnership, excellent, brave, enduring, compassionate, amazing, and encouraging.”Magnet status is recognition by the ANCC, an affiliate of the American Nurses Association, that nursing providers satisfy criteria that measures the strength and quality of nursing care at specific locations. The Magnet Recognition program primarily recognizes excellence of staff nurses and reflects the high-quality work environment all employees help create. Roughly 9.4 percent of U.S. hospitals and 13.8 percent of Ohio hospitals have achieved Magnet status, and even fewer have achieved Magnet designation as a system, as TriHealth has.
“The ANCC’s continued recognition of TriHealth’s more than 3,000 nurses is an honor,” said Jenny Skinner, TriHealth’s Chief Nursing Executive. “I am truly proud of each of our nurses, particularly in light of their selfless sacrifices as they battled COVID-19 throughout the last two and-a-half years. Every day our nurses continue to face the pandemic on the front lines, doing everything necessary to ensure exemplary care for patients. I am also thankful for the TriHealth physicians and team members who support our work.”
Research shows patients largely benefit from visiting hospitals and care facilities with Magnet status. Magnet hospitals report improved clinical outcomes, lower mortality rates, fewer patient falls, fewer medication errors, and higher patient and family satisfaction. Magnet hospitals also tend to have lower nursing turnover.
Magnet recognition is a coveted distinction for healthcare institutions. It recognizes quality patient care, nursing excellence, and innovations in professional nursing practice. Appraisers look at many factors and best practices to evaluate the culture of care at each institution and ensure there is a collaborative, interdisciplinary team approach to care that recognizes nursing as a vital element.
According to the ANCC, the program provides consumers with a proven benchmark to measure the quality of care they can expect to receive. The ANCC conducts annual requests and reviews updated documentation regarding hospitals’ Magnet recognition. Hospitals earn Magnet recognition for a four-year period before re-designation is required.
“This recognition validates the high level of patient care excellence throughout the TriHealth organization,” Skinner said. “Magnet designations and re-designations for our 10 locations speak volumes about our healthcare system’s ability to provide the best care to patients and their families.”