News Seton Northwest Hospital ICU Earns Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence

AUSTIN, TX - (May 7, 2009) - Seton Northwest Hospital,has received the received the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence, from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). Recognizing the nation's top critical care units across a multitude of hospitals, the award represents extraordinary commitment to high-quality critical care standards and dedication to the exceptional care of patients and their families.

"This award honors nurses, physicians and all members of the healthcare team who work every day to provide excellent care to the patients of Seton Northwest," said Jo Keisman, RN, Senior Director of Nursing at Seton Northwest Hospital. "This recognition has only been awarded to 2 percent (132 of the 6,000) intensive care units across the country. We are proud to be honored in such an exclusive group. My congratulations go to the team at Seton Northwest ICU who I have the pleasure of working with each day. I know just how much they deserve this award."

As a Beacon Award recipient, Seton Northwest ICU succeeded in the following areas as measured against evidence-based national criteria:

• Patient outcomes
• Healing environment
• Research and evidence-based practice
• Education, training and mentoring
• Leadership and organization ethics
• Recruitment and retention

"AACN applauds the efforts and success of Seton Northwest ICU, which will now serve as a beacon of excellence for other hospitals and healthcare facilities across the nation," said Wanda Johanson, CEO, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. "Beacon units are a source of inspiration for other aspiring units."

Beacon Award units realize many benefits of having met rigid criteria for excellence, high-quality standards and exceptional care of patients and their families:

• Influence and Recognition: Units that participate in the Beacon Award process help set the standards for what constitutes an excellent acute or critical care environment through the collection of evidence-based information. Patient safety and quality programs, such as the Leapfrog Group Hospital Quality and Safety Survey, consider Beacon achievement in their evaluation process.
• Credibility: Consumers, who are paying much closer attention today to quality-of-care factors with respect to their own healthcare, will take this level of recognition into consideration when choosing a hospital for care or treatment.
• Recruitment and Retention: Prospective employees will recognize a Beacon Award unit as a healthy work environment, a place where quality of care is tied directly to quality of staff. Nurses who work in these units will recognize that their skills and expertise are appreciated and valued, boosting employee morale.

Seton Northwest Hospital is one of four Seton hospitals that earned Magnet Designation, the highest award for nursing excellence given by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.