South Nassau Earns National Recognition for Nursing Excellence

Re-Designation as a Magnet Hospital / One of only 26 hospitals in New York to earn the prestigious recognition

For the second time, South Nassau Communities Hospital has earned national recognition for nursing excellence, earning re-designation as an American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet® organization.

The Magnet designation is the highest and most prestigious international distinction a healthcare organization can receive for nursing care. South Nassau is one of only 26 hospitals in New York State (and one of 477 healthcare organizations nationally) to be so honored.

South Nassau first earned Magnet status in 2014. The re-designation is valid for four years. The award underscores South Nassau’s commitment to patient care and patient safety.

“Re-designation validates that nursing at South Nassau Communities Hospital is consistently excellent in practice care, collaboration and patient experience,” said Sue Penque, PhD, NE-BC, NC-BC, RN, chief nursing officer and senior vice president of Patient Care Services at South Nassau. “Our nurses are among the very best in the profession and their high standards and commitment to provide our patients with intuitive, expert bedside care and in a healing and nurturing environment will continue on.”

“A little over four years ago, I stated that our organization is fully invested in maintaining this prestigious credential,” said Richard J. Murphy, president and CEO of South Nassau. “I commend our nursing leadership, nurses and our entire patient care staff for its hard work and dedication to the core values of how we meet the needs of our patients so that today we are able to celebrate Magnet re-designation.”



Research comparing Magnet organizations with non-Magnet organizations has found Magnet recognition to be associated with higher job satisfaction among nurses; higher nurse-perceived quality of care; lower rates of nurse occupational safety incidents; lower rates of patient falls, and improved skin integrity. Data also show that Magnet hospitals are better able to attract and retain high-quality, professional nurses. This helps ensure a positive work environment as well as makes certain that the continuum of care remains coordinated, eliminating unnecessary and duplicative care, reducing costs and improving patients’ performance and outcomes.

Magnet recognition has been shown to provide specific benefits to hospitals and their communities, including:

• 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;
• Higher job satisfaction among nurses; and
• Lower nurse reports of intentions to leave position.
  

To achieve Magnet re-designation, South Nassau completed a rigorous process that demanded widespread participation from leadership and staff. The process began with the submission of an electronic application for re-designation, followed by written documentation demonstrating qualitative and quantitative evidence that South Nassau patient and nursing outcomes in several quality and patient safety areas (including patient falls, hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, healthcare-acquired infections, pediatric pain management, and peripheral IV complications) exceed comparison national benchmarks.

Additionally, South Nassau had to show proof that it exceeds national benchmarks for patient and family satisfaction, as well as nurse satisfaction.

The application and documentation submitted by South Nassau was scored by the ANCC to determine whether or not South Nassau was deserving of an on-site evaluation to thoroughly assess its worthiness of Magnet re-designation. After the multi-day, comprehensive on-site review process, a detailed appraisal report was completed and a vote was held by the ANCC to determine whether re-designation would be granted.

During the appraisal, the ANCC had to certify that South Nassau is pro-actively answering to the following five components deemed as global issues in nursing and healthcare:

1. Visionary leadership transforming the organization to meet changing needs;
2. Empowered staff properly prepared to face all challenges;
3. Competent, dedicated, and empowered nurses;
4. Continued innovation within staff knowledge, clinical practice, and systemic improvements;
5. Outcomes measurement systems in place throughout the entire organization
   

Magnet designation is among a multitude of other awards for safety and quality that South Nassau has earned during the past year, including:

• Healthgrades Top 10 Percent of Hospitals Evaluated for Gynecologic Procedures, Gynecologic Procedures Excellence Award, Superior Performance in Gynecologic Procedures Award, 5-Star Recipient for Hysterectomy;
• Healthgrades® America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery™, Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award™, and 5-Star ratings for Total Knee Replacement, Total Hip Replacement and Hip Fracture Treatment;
• Healthgrades Patient Safety Award, Healthgrades Top 5 Percent of Hospitals for Patient Safety, Healthgrades Top 10 Percent of Hospitals for Patient Safety;
• Becker’s Hospital Review “100 Hospitals with Great Women’s Health Programs”;
• Infectious Disease Society of America Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence
• Re-accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers;
• Get With The Guidelines®–Heart Failure Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation;
• American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus;
• IPRO (Improving Healthcare for the Common Good) End-Stage Renal Disease Network Quality Award for Highest ICH CAHPS Score in New York;
• IPRO End Stage Renal Network Five Diamond Safety Award (for both the Inpatient Dialysis Unit and the Outpatient Dialysis Center);
• TCU (Transitional Care Unit) CMS Nursing Home Compare 5- Star Rating;
• TCU US News & World Report Top Nursing Homes in America.
  

Designated a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for outstanding nursing care, South Nassau® Communities Hospital is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 455 beds, more than 900 physicians and 3,500 employees. Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services.

 In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau provides emergency and elective angioplasty, and offers Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery technologies. South Nassau operates the only Trauma Center on the South Shore of Nassau County verified by the American College of Surgeons as well as Long Island’s only free-standing, 9-1-1 receiving Emergency Department in Long Beach. South Nassau also is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons, and is an accredited center of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Association and Quality Improvement Program.
 
In addition, the hospital has been awarded the Joint Commission’s gold seal of approval for disease-specific care for hip replacement, knee replacement, heart failure, bariatric surgery, wound care and end-stage renal disease. For more information, visit www.southnassau.org.