CoxHealth’s Springfield hospitals earn Magnet status for nursing care

CoxHealth is proud to announce that our Springfield hospitals have earned Magnet recognition.

This distinction is the highest national and international honor a health care organization can earn for professional nursing practice that supports quality patient outcomes specifically influenced by registered nurses.

CoxHealth’s Springfield hospitals are the first and only Magnet-designated facilities in our region. Across Missouri, only eight other hospitals have earned Magnet recognition. The designation is awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to hospitals that have met strict criteria indicating performance excellence. Only about 9% of U.S. hospitals achieve the distinction.

“This is a significant milestone for our organization,” says Beth Polivka, CoxHealth’s system chief nursing officer. ​“Magnet is not just a designation, but a reflection of meeting the highest standards in nursing practice that support excellence for patient care. We are honored to be recognized by the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program for demonstrating the culture, processes, and structures that support best nursing practices. The designation also acknowledges that we have an environment where nurses are empowered and engaged in providing outstanding care.”

To earn this status, nursing leaders, staff, and interprofessional members of the care team met and documented 94 separate standards focused on demonstrating both excellence in nurse satisfaction with the RN environment, as well as nursing-influenced patient satisfaction and patient outcomes.

The Magnet journey is a years-long process involving an application, written patient care documentation, and an on-site visit by a team of appraisers.

The three-day on-site visit included sessions involving 386 employees and physicians for focused discussions, as well as unit visits. The appraisers met more than 700 team members from nursing and other key disciplines. In addition, appraisers evaluated nursing’s involvement and partnerships within the community.

The ANCC Commission on Magnet Recognition reviewed all written documentation and the on-site appraiser reports as they made the final decision to award the Magnet Recognition. The designation is awarded for four years and requires that the hospital repeats the process to maintain ongoing designation.

“This designation demonstrates that we are an employer of choice and a destination for those who need care,” says Kaylie Weltsch, CoxHealth’s Magnet program coordinator. “This distinction is also a huge influencer for our workforce. It establishes to both new and experienced nurses who are considering employment opportunities that both culture and leadership in the organization support nursing practice. However, it also validates the importance and the value that our existing workforce delivers directly to the lives within their hands every day.”

Earning Magnet status is a testament to CoxHealth’s commitment to excellence in work environment, culture and clinical outcomes.

​​“The Magnet surveyors were blown away by the culture they saw in our organization,” Polivka says. “While Magnet recognizes nursing excellence, that performance is driven by a culture of collaboration and teamwork across all disciplines in our health care system who work together with nurses in patient care. It’s the working relationships between all members of the care team and departments that support care that are essential.”

The distinction recognizes Cox Medical Centers, which includes CoxHealth’s Springfield-based facilities, including Cox South, Cox North, Meyer Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital, CoxHealth Surgery Center, the Martin Center, and hospital-based services in Hulston Cancer Center and Wheeler Heart and Vascular Center.

You can see more about the Magnet Recognition Program, visit ANCC’s website at this link.