DANVILLE, PA – The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has designated Geisinger Medical Center (GMC) as a Magnet hospital. The news came via a conference call to hospital administrators, nurses and staff who broke out with cheers and applause.
GMC joins an elite group of only 15 Pennsylvania hospitals — and only 294 hospitals in the United States that have achieved Magnet status. More than 6,000 hospitals are eligible for this recognition.
"Achieving Magnet designation is a testament to the high quality of care our nurses provide every day at GMC," said Geisinger President and CEO Glenn Steele Jr., MD, PhD. "Nurses are at the core of our mission and vision and they should be proud of this prestigious honor."
Magnet designation is a highly coveted distinction for health care institutions, which must satisfy a demanding set of criteria measuring the strength and quality of nursing. Magnet hospitals are known as places where nurses deliver excellent patient care and have a high level of job satisfaction. Magnet hospitals also encourage open communication between nurses and members of the health care team and provide nurse involvement in decision-making about patient care.
"We set a very high goal and achieved it," said Sue Hallick, RN, BSN, MHA NE-BC, executive vice president and chief nursing officer for Geisinger Health System. "A seal of approval like Magnet is yet another reassuring factor to our patients and the members of our community that Geisinger meets the highest standards for delivering top-notch patient centered care."
"Magnet designation is about teamwork and commitment to quality. Nursing is supported by amazing collaborative partnerships with every department at Geisinger Medical Center," added Terri Bickert, RN, MSN, NE-BC, GMC Magnet program director.
Last April, GMC submitted the 11-volume, 2,537-page Magnet document with data and various evidence of how the Medical Center met the high quality criteria of Magnet designation. The document was accepted by the ANCC and by early summer, teams of GMC nurses, staff and administrators were preparing for the final phase, a three-day appraiser visit in August.
Every detail was planned to cover as much ground and see as many GMC staff as possible. "We have never seen an organization that embraces the concept of family and truly lives its mission, vision, and values the way Geisinger does," the surveyors said to the GMC staff upon conclusion of their on-site survey.
Hospitals earn Magnet designation for a four-year period. The ANCC conducts annual reviews requesting updated documentation. At the end of four years, the Medical Center will go through the entire Magnet designation process once again.
"The Magnet process has given us a chance to share our passion and confirms what we knew all along — that our nurses are among the best in the nation," said Hallick.
About Geisinger Health System
Founded in 1915, Geisinger Health System (Danville, PA) is one of the nation's largest integrated health services organizations. Serving more than two million residents throughout central and northeastern Pennsylvania, the physician-led organization is at the forefront of the country's rapidly emerging electronic health records movement. Geisinger is comprised of two medical center campuses, three hospitals, a 740-member group practice, a not-for-profit health insurance company and the Henry Hood Center for Health Research—dedicated to creating innovative new models for patient care, satisfaction and clinical outcomes. For more information, visit www.geisinger.org