Baptist Hospital Achieves Magnet® Recognition for the Fifth Time and Reinforces a Commitment to Nursing Excellence

Miami, FL — May 1, 2017– Baptist Hospital attained Magnet recognition for the fifth consecutive time, a testament to its continued dedication to high-quality nursing practice. The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program® distinguishes healthcare organizations that meet rigorous standards for nursing excellence. The designation is the nation’s highest form of recognition for nursing excellence and a benchmark for the quality of care patients receive.

Baptist Hospital is part of the less than 1 percent of hospitals in the world to receive a fifth designation. In addition, only 22 hospitals in Florida and less than 7 percent of the hospitals in the nation have achieved Magnet recognition. Baptist Hospital was the first in the state of Florida to receive the prestigious Magnet recognition in 1998.
“Magnet recognition is an incredible honor and reflects our commitment to delivering the highest quality of care to this community,” said Bo Boulenger, the hospital’s chief executive officer. “We’re a better organization today because of the Magnet recognition we first achieved 19 years ago.”

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.

“To earn Magnet recognition once was a great accomplishment and an incredible source of pride for our nurses. Our repeated achievement of this credential underscores the foundation of excellence and values that drive our entire staff to strive harder each day to meet the health care needs of the people we serve,” said Becky Montesino-King, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CENP, vice president and chief nursing officer, Baptist Hospital and Baptist Children’s Hospital. “Magnet recognition raised the bar for patient care and inspired every member of our team to achieve excellence every day.”

Magnet designation is widely accepted as the gold standard of nursing excellence. An organization seeking to reapply for Magnet recognition must provide documented evidence of how Magnet concepts, performance and quality were sustained and improved over the four-year period. Just 452 U.S. health care organizations out of over 6,300 U.S. hospitals have achieved Magnet recognition. Research demonstrates that Magnet recognition provides specific benefits to health care organizations and their communities. 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. Health care organizations must reapply for Magnet recognition every four years based on adherence to Magnet concepts and demonstrated improvements in patient care and quality.

About Baptist Hospital
Baptist Hospital is part of Baptist Health South Florida, the largest healthcare organization in the region, with seven hospitals (Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital), nearly 50 outpatient and urgent care facilities, Baptist Health Medical Group, Baptist Health Quality Network and internationally renowned centers of excellence. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to our faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has approximately 16,000 employees and 2,300 affiliated physicians. Baptist Health South Florida has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net and connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/BaptistHealthSF and on Twitter and Instagram @BaptistHealthSF.

About ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program
The Magnet Recognition Program — administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the largest and most prominent nurses credentialing organization in the world —identifies health care organizations that provide the very best in nursing care and professionalism in nursing practice. The Magnet Recognition Program serves as the gold standard for nursing excellence and provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care. For more information about the Magnet Recognition Program and current statistics, visit www.nursecredentialing.org/magnet.

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