Baystate Again Named Magnet Hospital for Nursing Excellence

SPRINGFIELD — For a third consecutive time, Baystate Medical Center has achieved Magnet recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

As a Magnet-certified hospital, Baystate Medical Center is part of a select group of 378 healthcare organizations out of nearly 6,000 in the U.S. It is one of only nine such hospitals in Massachusetts and 22 in New England. Nationally, only about 7{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of all healthcare organizations are Magnet-recognized, and only 26{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of all Magnet organizations have received three consecutive designations like Baystate.

The Magnet recognition program was developed by the ANCC, a subsidiary of the American Nurses Assoc., to recognize healthcare organizations that provide top-quality nursing care. Magnet recognition is the highest national credential for nursing excellence, serving as the gold standard for nursing practice.

“Our nurses and all of their partners in the delivery of care have done something most others haven’t,” said Nancy Shendell-Falik, senior vice president, chief operating officer, and chief nursing officer for Baystate Medical Center. “By sustaining our tradition of Magnet hospital nursing excellence for a third time, we are among an elite group of very few hospitals nationwide who have achieved this honor. Such an accomplishment is a testament to the unrelenting commitment of our nurses to the patients and families they serve.”

The announcement of re-credentialing, which lasts for several years, comes after an extensive application and review process and site visit by representatives of the ANCC. As a result of their site visit, surveyors noted Baystate Medical Center as exemplary in several distinct areas, including the chief nursing officer’s role in organizational decision making, the transition of newly hired nurses, the level of nurses’ clinical autonomy, and meeting certain national clinical benchmarks.

Magnet status helps consumers locate providers with a proven level of excellence in nursing care, and assists hospitals in attracting and retaining quality employees. In fact, U.S. News & World Report’s annual showcase of “America’s Best Hospitals,” in which Baystate Medical Center is named, includes Magnet recognition in its ranking criteria for quality of inpatient care. Baystate has been Magnet-certified since 2005.

“Congratulations to our exceptional nurses for this significant achievement,” said Dr. Mark Keroack, president and CEO of Baystate Health. “We thank you for your expertise, your skill, your advocacy, and the total care you provide to patients and families, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For more information about Baystate Medical Center, visit baystatehealth.org/bmc.