Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

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Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is the sixth-largest children’s health care organization in the U.S., with 326 staffed beds at its two hospital campuses in St. Paul and Minneapolis. An independent, not-for-profit health care system, Children’s of Minnesota provides care through over 13,000 inpatient visits and more than 200,000 emergency room and other outpatient visits each year.

Children's has a full range of pediatric specialty services, critical care, and clinics to serve premature infants through older teens. While Children's serves thousands of the region's sick children each year, the organization also strives to keep children well and to prevent illness and injury. Children's of Minnesota also includes Children’s Clinics - Woodwinds, specialty and rehabilitation clinics in Woodbury; Children's - Roseville, a rehabilitation clinic in Roseville; and Children's West, an outpatient surgery, diagnostic center, and rehabilitation clinic in Minnetonka.

[edit] Minnesota’s only hospital devoted to comprehensive children’s care lauded for helping lead the way to better results for patients

(MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, Oct. 17, 2006)—Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota was ranked among the top 8 U.S. children’s hospitals in a watershed survey of hospital quality and safety announced Monday by the respected Leapfrog Group.

Children’s and seven other pediatric institutions were listed as the best in the nation in the survey, which assessed hospitals for improvements that result in safer and higher quality care for patients.

This is the second year Children’s has been listed as one of the top hospitals by the Leapfrog Group. A separate survey listed the 50 adult-focused U.S. hospitals that have made similar strides.

These results place Children’s among the very best hospitals in the nation for safety and quality,” said Alan L. Goldbloom, MD, CEO and president of Children’s. “Moreover, the results reflect directly on the professionalism and skill of our dedicated staff, along with a strategic commitment to make long term investments in safety and quality. Our patients and their families are the beneficiaries.”

The Leapfrog Group focuses on a variety of improvements proven by research to make hospital care better. They include:

Staffing in intensive care units; Use of computers that are linked to error-prevention software; Evidence-based hospital referrals, which measures results in high-risk procedures and care; and Safe practices based on a list of 27 events, developed by patient safety experts, which should never occur in a hospital. Children’s, for instance, pioneered the practice of having critical care physicians in its pediatric and neonatal intensive care units 24 hours a day. Forty-nine percent of beds at Children’s are dedicated to critical care patients, while the national average for pediatric hospitals is 26 percent and that figure is approximately 12 percent in adult institutions.

The Leapfrog Group represents a consortium of major employers responsible for purchasing health care coverage for more than 37 million Americans. It was launched in 2000, a year after the Institute of Medicine issued its landmark report on medical errors in U.S. hospitals.

[edit] Children’s of Minnesota joins nursing elite with Magnet designation

Only 12 other free-standing pediatric hospitals in the nation have the coveted distinction (MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, Oct. 17, 2006)—Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota announced today it has achieved new heights in excellence with the designation of Magnet status, which recognizes the top standards in nursing practice.

The designation culminates four years of planning, including an exhaustive four-day survey by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to confirm Children’s meets the exacting standards for Magnet designation. The ANCC, a subsidiary of the American Nursing Association, bestows Magnet status to "recognize health care organizations that provide the very best in nursing care and uphold the tradition within nursing of professional nursing practice."

“Earning Magnet status confirms what we already knew: The nurses at Children’s are the gold standard. They care for children and families with an unparalleled sense of professionalism. They are at the heart of Children’s commitment to providing the best pediatric care to all who come through our doors,” said Ginger Malone, RN, Children’s chief nursing officer. Malone gave particular kudos to the 38-member team of registered nurses who helped champion Children’s efforts to gain Magnet status.

Approximately 1,600 registered nurses work full- and part-time at Children’s. Children’s is the only Twin Cities hospital to achieve Magnet status and is the only Minnesota hospital system to provide comprehensive care exclusively to children.

Only 4 percent of the 6,000-plus hospitals in the United States have qualified for the Magnet designation.

“The news that Children’s has earned Magnet status confirms we provide care that ranks among the finest in the nation,” said Alan L. Goldbloom, MD, CEO and president of Children’s.

In 2002, The American Nurse, a publication of the American Nursing Association, described the impact Magnet status has both in the workplace and for overall quality in patient care:

“A growing body of research indicates that the program is making a positive difference for nurses, their patients, and employers. For example, studies indicate that patients experience lower mortality rates, shorter lengths of stay and increased satisfaction in Magnet facilities, while nurses also have increased satisfaction, as well as increased perceptions of productivity and the quality of care given. Employers benefit, too, as studies indicate that Magnet facilities have lower incidence of needlestick injuries, lower nurse burnout rates and higher retention rates, increased ability to attract new nurses, and higher JCAHO (Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) scores.”

The Magnet designation has its roots in a 1980s nursing shortage—a pattern that is reemerging in U.S. health care. The American Academy of Nursing, also a subsidiary of the American Nursing Association published a study that showed despite the shortage, some hospitals created an environment that allowed them to attract and keep well-qualified nurses. The ANCC formalized the magnet concept in 1993 by establishing the Magnet Hospital Recognition Program for Excellence in Nursing Services.

Malone and other leaders said an official celebration of the accomplishment is being planned at Children’s.

Children’s joins Mayo Clinic and St. Cloud Hospital to become Minnesota’s third health care provider to achieve Magnet designation.