HOUSTON (Sept. 16, 2020) — Harris Health System’s Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital is the fourth healthcare organization in 2020 to achieve Magnet recognition for nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Magnet designation is the acknowledged gold standard for nursing excellence and a measure used by the public when evaluating outstanding healthcare facilities.
The ANCC Magnet Recognition Program® distinguishes healthcare organizations for their nursing excellence programs. In the U.S., only 8.62% of all registered hospitals earn Magnet recognition. LBJ Hospital now joins 530 current healthcare organizations worldwide to have this prestigious honor.
“Magnet recognition is a tremendous honor and reflects Harris Health System and our staff’s commitment to delivering the highest quality care to our patients,” says Maureen Padilla, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, executive vice president and chief nursing executive, Harris Health System. “To earn Magnet recognition underscores the strong foundation of excellence and values that drive our professional nursing team to strive harder each day to meet the healthcare needs of all the residents of Harris County.
“The achievement of Magnet status is more than something to brag about, it demonstrates to our nursing staff that our organization recognizes their invaluable potential to lead healthcare innovation and improvements at Harris Health,” Padilla adds.
Magnet provides organizations a framework for nursing practice, research and a benchmark for health outcomes. The framework comprises various elements needed for the delivery of high-quality patient care that 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.
“We’re extremely proud that our team has reached this milestone in the history of Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital and Harris Health System,” says Derek L. Curtis Sr., DNP, MA, RN, NEA-BC, chief nursing officer, LBJ Hospital. “We were inspired to seek Magnet recognition because of our commitment to provide high-quality care to our patients. Magnet recognition raises the bar for patient care and inspires our team to purse excellence each day. LBJ Hospital is a place where nurses have a voice and feel empowered to create positive change in their nursing practice and in our community.”
To achieve Magnet recognition, organizations must pass a lengthy process that requires widespread participation from leadership and staff. This process includes an electronic application, written patient care documentation and on-site surveys. Healthcare organizations that achieve Magnet status must reapply every four years for re-designation.
Since the Magnet Recognition Program® was established in 1990, exceptional healthcare organizations have worked tirelessly to achieve and maintain the honor. When a healthcare organization fosters the ideal environment for nursing talent—investment in nursing education and development, inter-professional collaborative practice, autonomy and shared values—the whole organization reaps the rewards, according to ANCC.
Research shows that Magnet recognition provides healthcare organizations and their communities with specific benefits such as:
- Higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication and receiving discharge information
- Lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure to rescue rates
- Higher job satisfaction among nurses
- Lower nurse turnover and burnout.
“Our Magnet recognition is a wonderful testament to how our entire hospital has worked so hard to improve the patient experience and become a leader among community hospitals,” says Patricia Darnauer, executive vice president and administrator, LBJ Hospital. “It is also remarkable that we could achieve this recognition in the middle of our COVID-19 fight. Each day the LBJ Hospital team demonstrates that we are champions.”