EJGH Achieves Fourth Consecutive Nursing Magnet® Recognition

East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH), for the fourth consecutive term, has again attained Magnet recognition as part of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program. The accolade is one of the highest achievable marks in the nursing field and makes EJGH one of just 26 four-time recipients in the country.

Receiving Magnet recognition for the fourth time is a great achievement for East Jefferson General Hospital, as it continues to proudly belong to the global community of Magnet-recognized organizations. Just 436 U.S. health care institutions out of over 6,300 U.S. hospitals have achieved Magnet recognition.

Magnet recognition is a tremendous honor and reflects our commitment to delivering the highest quality of care to this community,” said Dr. Mark Peters, EJGH President, and CEO. “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.”

Research demonstrates that Magnet recognition provides specific benefits to health care organizations and their communities, such as:

Higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, availability of help, and receipt of discharge information.

• Lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure to rescue rates.
• Higher job satisfaction among nurses.
• Lower nurse reports of intentions to leave their positions.

Magnet recognition is the gold standard for nursing excellence and is a factor when the public judge's health care organizations. 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.

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 achieve initial Magnet recognition, organizations must pass a rigorous and lengthy process that demands widespread participation from leadership and staff. This process includes an electronic application, written patient care documentation, an on-site visit, and a review by the Commission on Magnet Recognition.

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. An organization reapplying for Magnet recognition must provide documented evidence to demonstrate how staff members sustained and improved Magnet concepts, performance, and quality over the four-year period since the organization received its most recent recognition.

“We’re a better organization today because of the Magnet recognition we first achieved 14 years ago,” added Peters. “Magnet recognition raised the bar for patient care and inspired every member of our team to achieve excellence every day. It is this commitment to providing our community with high-quality care that helped us become a Magnet-recognized organization, and it’s why we continue to pursue and maintain Magnet recognition.”

East Jefferson General Hospital first earned Magnet recognition in 2002, the first in Louisiana to do so, and subsequently earned recertification in 2006 and 2012. Only 26 organizations in the nation have ever received a fourth, 4-year term.

About East Jefferson General Hospital

East Jefferson General Hospital is a publicly-owned, not-for-profit community hospital. This service district hospital, formed in 1965, receives no tax support from Jefferson Parish. The 420-bed hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and is Louisiana’s first Nurse Magnet hospital. For more information on East Jefferson General Hospital, visit online at www.ejgh.org.

About the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program

The Magnet Recognition Program® administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the largest and most prominent nurses credentialing organization in the world, recognizes healthcare 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 the quality of care. For more information about the Magnet Recognition Program® and current statistics, visit www.nursecredentialing.org/Magnet.aspx.