NKCH Receives Highest Recognition for Nursing Excellence

, opens new tabHigh-quality patient care, outstanding outcomes, and committed employees helped North Kansas City Hospital earn Magnet^® designation. The recognition, awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, is the highest achievement a hospital can receive for nursing excellence. Only 8.6% (474) of U.S. hospitals have earned Magnet designation.

“We are so proud to receive the honor of Magnet designation,” said Peggy Schmitt, president and CEO of NKCH and Meritas Health.

“Although we’ve been operating consistent with Magnet principles for quite some time, we’re excited the ANCC made it official. Magnet is about creating a hospital-wide culture of respect and collaboration, which results in the best patient outcomes and the highest level of patient care. Every single employee helped us achieve this honor by putting our patients first every day.”

The Magnet application and review process is rigorous and lengthy. NKCH submitted volumes of written documentation about its patient care practices and outcomes. An ANCC Magnet appraisal team spent three days on the hospital’s campus observing the hospital’s process and interviewing employees, physicians, patients and community members.

“Magnet hospitals also attract extremely qualified nurses, doctors and other staff because those professionals understand what the designation symbolizes,” added Sarah Oakley, NKCH’s chief nursing officer. “They want to work in a hospital that meets the gold standard for patient care, outcomes and employee satisfaction.”

NKCH must reapply for designation every four years and undergo the evaluation process again. In the meantime, close monitoring ensures the hospital continues to adhere to Magnet’s high standards.

About North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health

For more than half a century, North Kansas City Hospital has been the Northland’s preferred healthcare provider. The hospital serves the community with 451 licensed beds, more than 3,000 employees, and 508 physicians representing 46 medical specialties. From a Level III neonatal intensive care unit to home health and hospice services, NKCH provides a lifetime of care.

NKCH offers award-winning cardiovascular and orthopedic programs. The hospital’s oncology partnership, opens new tab with The University of Kansas Cancer Center provides patients access to clinical trials only available at the nation’s leading cancer centers.

Through its Meritas Health, opens new tab subsidiary, North Kansas City Hospital offers the largest network of physician practices in the Northland, with more than 140 physicians and 40 advanced practitioners, opens new tab in 36 convenient locations, opens new tab, including express care clinics, opens new tab in the Liberty, Gladstone and 64th Street Hy-Vee stores.

The hospital’s mission, vision and values reflect a strong commitment to the health and well-being of the Northland community and beyond. Last year, NKCH sponsored 60 charitable and community organizations and served more than 24,000 people through its dynamic Community Health & Wellness programs. And, it recently became the first hospital in Kansas City to offer a zero-percent financing option to help patients manage their medical expenses.

About ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program

The Magnet Recognition Program, opens new tab — administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the largest and most prominent nurses credentialing organization in the world — identifies health care organizations that provide the very best in nursing care and professionalism in nursing practice. The Magnet Recognition Program is the highest national honor for nursing excellence and provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care.