Our Commitment to Quality
Wolfson Children's Hospital is dedicated to providing the high-quality, safe health care to the children of our community and beyond. That is why we work in partnership with The Joint Commission, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration, the Duval County Health Department, and other organizations to implement programs that monitor and report on safety and quality of patient care. Wolfson Children's Hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission. In addition, we have established a number of quality initiatives and achieved international recognition for excellence in patient care. MagnetTM recognition In 2007, Baptist Health (the parent of Wolfson Children's Hospital) was recognized as a Magnet Health Care System by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Magnet is an international quality designation enjoyed by less than five percent of hospitals in the country. Baptist Health's five hospitals, along with Baptist Home Health Care, simultaneously achieved this honor, making it the largest health system in the country to achieve Magnet status. Magnet is considered the "gold standard" for nursing and clinical care. Researchers who have compared Magnet hospitals to those that haven't earned the quality status have found that Magnet hospitals enjoy better patient outcomes, including lower mortality rates and higher patient satisfaction. Likewise, nurses at Magnet hospitals report higher morale and perceive the care being given by their institutions as better. A study in the Journal of Nursing Administration found that Magnet hospitals are "infused with quality care, nurse autonomy, informal and non-rigid verbal communication, innovation, bringing out the best in each individual, and striving for excellence." High-quality nursing creates a "halo" effect, as well, making a hospital more attractive to nurses' colleagues, including physicians and ancillary staff. Patient- and family-centered care Wolfson Children's Hospital has long acknowledged the importance of including the family at the bedside and of focusing on the comfort and well-being of patients and their loved ones. Many of the practices adopted at Wolfson Children’s, such as pet therapy, have been implemented at other Baptist Health hospitals. Now the hospital is taking patient- and family-centeredness to a new level by adopting the core concepts established by the Institute for Family-Centered Care, which call for working in direct partnership with patients and family in clinical care and facility operations. Other quality measures In addition to the initiatives implemented by Wolfson Children's and Baptist Health, a number of outside organizations have recognized our facility for its commitment to quality. Here are a few: Child Magazine Child magazine named Wolfson Children's Hospital among its top three children's hospitals in Florida. The list of 40 highest-ranked children's hospitals throughout the nation appeared in the February 2007 issue of the national parenting magazine. Wolfson and other leading children's hospitals were selected after the completion of a 247-question survey designed by leading pediatric experts. The survey, which took place over a nine-month period, was sent to 116 members of the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI). The survey asked children's hospitals to provide detailed information on:
- Hospital size and patient load
- Medical staff
- Nursing and other clinical staff
- Medical services
- Research
- Quality and patient safety
- Community outreach
- Family-friendliness
- Specialty areas, such as cardiac services, oncology, neonatology, emergency medicine, orthopaedics and pulmonology
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The late William Turk, MD, pediatric neurologist with Wolfson Children's Hospital
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Robert Threlkel, MD, pediatrician with Wolfson
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Eric Loveless, MD, pediatric orthopaedic surgeon with Wolfson
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Connie Inman, RN, pediatric emergency room nurse at Wolfson's Children's Emergency Center
