We are in the thick of celebrating Nurses Week 2024 and this year is especially meaningful because of what we have been able to achieve recently!
Last week, Leapfrog published the Hospital Safety Grades, and for the first time, UAMS achieved an A! Leapfrog is a watchdog organization that reports quality and safety performance for hospitals, in order to transparently report information to the public. It includes performance metrics from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services, a survey submitted by the hospital, and information from other sources to produce a grade (A through F).
Consumers can utilize this information to determine the best place to receive care. The grade is issued in the spring and fall each year. In 2021-2022, UAMS received a ‘C’ and last year UAMS received a ‘B’ for both spring and fall. The ‘A’ grade this year is proof of the amazing outcomes we have achieved in quality, safety, and organizational structures for reporting and improvement. You can read more about the Leapfrog Hospital Grade here.
In addition to Leapfrog hospital grade, we heard back from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and they were very impressed with our Magnet Document. They have requested more information on 12 of our narratives, and we are working to get them that information.
We expect that we will have Magnet appraisers on-site in October, and our Magnet Champion group will be meeting beginning in late June to prepare for our mock site-visit in August. Additionally, our Magnet Document is online! You do have to be on campus to access the document, but I encourage you to visit the site and read the amazing stories of Nursing Excellence.
You can search names, units, or key words to find specific stories. Nearly every unit and service line were featured in the document. Read our Magnet Document here.
The 2023 Nursing Annual Report is also now available! The annual report is a collection of the amazing work that UAMS nurses engage in within acute care, ambulatory services, and around Arkansas. Featured stories include the Brain Injury program, housed in the Institute of Digital Health and Innovation, the new clinic services available to EasterSeals clients through partnership with Rahling Road Clinic, the community service projects various nursing care areas participated in, and nurses participating in research. You can read all of these amazing stories and more here.
Finally, last week we were overcome with the truly heroic efforts by many different teams to save the life of a young patient from an outside hospital, who was near death at time of arrival. The quick action from about 8
different departments worked smoothly, calmly, and seamlessly to save the patient’s life. It is a true testament of the compassion, skill, expertise, and collaboration that we know to be part of everyday operations at UAMS. What we often consider as ‘just doing our job’ turned into a miracle for the patient and their family. Organizational Excellence lives at UAMS. Congratulations team, and Happy Nurses Week!
