Baptist Health Lexington Receives Highest Nursing Credential with Prestigious Magnet® Recognition...Again

LEXINGTON, Ky., March 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Baptist Health Lexington has again attained Magnet® recognition as part of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program®. This voluntary credentialing program for hospitals recognizes excellence in nursing. This credential is the highest honor an organization can receive for professional nursing practice.

This latest recognition marks the third time Baptist Health Lexington has been recognized by the Magnet Recognition Program.

"Magnet recognition is a tremendous honor and reflects our commitment to delivering the highest quality of care to this community," said Karen S. Hill, Chief Operating Officer/Chief Nursing Officer at Baptist Health Lexington. "To earn Magnet recognition twice was a great accomplishment and an incredible source of pride for our nurses. Our achievement of this credential for an additional four years underscores the foundation of excellence and values that drives our entire staff to strive harder each day to meet the healthcare needs of the people we serve. Less than 140 hospitals in the world have achieved this recognition for a third time."

Magnet recognition has become the gold standard for nursing excellence and is taken into consideration when the public judges healthcare organizations. In fact, 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.

An organization seeking to reapply for Magnet recognition must provide documented evidence of how concepts supporting excellence, performance, and quality were sustained and improved over the four-year period since the hospital received its most recent recognition.

"We're a better institution today because of the Magnet recognition we achieved four years ago," said Hill. "It has 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 facility, and it's why we continue to serve as a Magnet hospital today."

Baptist Health Lexington was initially designated a Magnet hospital in 2005 and is one of only five hospitals in Kentucky with this distinction. Hospitals must reapply for Magnet recognition every four years based on adherence to Magnet concepts and demonstrated improvements in patient care and quality.

About Baptist Health Lexington
Baptist Health Lexington, one of seven acute-care hospitals owned by Kentucky's Baptist Health, is a 383-bed major medical research and education center in Lexington, Kentucky,

Distinguished three times as a Top Performer by the Joint Commission, Baptist Health Lexington holds several prestigious recognitions denoting its excellence in quality cardiac services. The oncology program's national accreditations signify that the hospital uses the latest skills, knowledge and technology to help patients overpower cancer.

Committed to making quality healthcare services convenient, Baptist Health Lexington operates six outlying outpatient centers, including locations in Georgetown, Nicholasville and Richmond.

Recognized with Magnet status for its quality nursing care, the hospital continues to lead in maternity care, having delivered nearly 150,000 babies in its 60-year history.

About the American Nurses Credentialing Center's (ANCC) 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 quality of care. For more information about the Magnet Recognition Program and current statistics, visit www.nursecredentialing.org/magnet.

SOURCE Baptist Health Lexington