{"id":11286,"date":"2018-12-05T23:09:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-06T06:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nursemk.wpengine.com\/how-hospital-rankings-lists-and-designations-can-boost-your-reputation\/"},"modified":"2022-03-02T15:09:45","modified_gmt":"2022-03-02T20:09:45","slug":"how-hospital-rankings-lists-and-designations-can-boost-your-reputation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nurse.com\/solutions\/blog\/how-hospital-rankings-lists-and-designations-can-boost-your-reputation","title":{"rendered":"How Hospital Rankings, Lists and Designations Can Boost Your Reputation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong> This is the first part of a two-part series about award recognition. Read the second article here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Consumers love lists, awards and rankings. And many people follow them with anticipation wondering who will make the cut.<\/h2>\n

Why? Because consumers and future employees want to know who has the best and worst reputation before they spend a few bucks or apply to join your team.<\/p>\n

Lists such as the 2018 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Rankings,<\/a>\u00a0in which Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic came out on top of the hospital rankings, serve several purposes, said Theresa Mazzaro, RN, CHCR, senior talent acquisition specialist, with Suburban Hospital, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine.<\/p>\n

Published lists and hospital rankings reports work like a scorecard where everyday people can see how organizations compare to their peers, Mazzaro said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHospital rankings are great for community recruitment,\u201d she said. And to some degree, the reports can be helpful with recruiting efforts, she added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Johns Hopkins was ranked No. 3 by U.S. News & World Report\u2019s 2018-19 Best Hospitals Honor Roll and was recognized in 2018 by Becker\u2019s Hospital Review<\/a>. This type of credibility helps hospitals \u201cstand out from the pack,\u201d particularly from a quality perspective, Mazzaro said.<\/p>\n

Depending on which position you are recruiting for, quality outcomes captured in these lists may catch the eye of job applicants<\/a> interviewing for the director of patient safety or a quality risk management position, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I was talking to a candidate about Becker\u2019s or other rankings, it\u2019s not at the top of my mind as a recruiter, but if it was something to do with discussing benefits or work-life balance, then I might talk about it with the candidate,\u201d Mazzaro said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Science behind determining hospital rankings<\/h3>\n

U.S. News & World Report Chief of Health Analysis Ben Harder said the intent behind publishing annual hospital rankings lists is for the patient\u2019s sake, not necessarily for the hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cHospitals cannot opt in or opt out,”\u00a0he said. “We exist to provide information and data, so patients can make informed decisions. Although we realize that hospitals may use this as a recruiting tool.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. News & World Report crunches data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services<\/a> to compile their results, Harder said. The only exception is children\u2019s hospitals, which must fill out survey questions simply because CMS data isn\u2019t available.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe evaluate hospitals in different areas of care,\u201d Harder said. \u201cWe rank hospitals in 25 areas of adult care and 10 in pediatric care. We look at patient mortality rates and how the hospital takes care of these patients. We look at readmission rates or if they have a longer stay in the hospitals because of infection rates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other highly credible lists include the Forbes Best Employers List and Becker\u2019s Hospital Review \u2014 Top 100 Hospitals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love being able to identify America\u2019s best employers because by doing so we both help employees find the workplaces they might most want to pursue careers at and help employers see who is doing best at creating the conditions for recruiting and retaining the best work forces in a competitive business environment,” said Fred Allen, Forbes senior editor who oversees the Top Employers List.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“We think those are both such important services that this year we expanded the franchise, inaugurating new Forbes lists of the Best Employers for Women and the Best Employers for Diversity,\u201d Allen added.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

How designations can set you apart<\/h3>\n

Niche-based designations, such as Magnet, given by the American Nurses Credentialing Center<\/a>\u00a0also can help with recruiting efforts, Mazzaro said.<\/p>\n

Lantern, awarded by the Emergency Nurses Association<\/a> to recognize outstanding emergency departments<\/a>, also is beneficial for nurse recruitment, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes a lot of hard work to get them \u2014 you cannot buy the Magnet designation,\u201d Mazzaro said. \u201cMagnet designation is reflective of your culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

And when a designation is combined with quality care data like positive patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and how soon patients go home, all reported by CMS, these criteria can help hospitals grab better results, Harder said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNurse staffing and whether it\u2019s a\u00a0Magnet facility,<\/a> in combination with other factors, can give hospitals a higher ranking,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Too many patients and not enough nurses also can affect hospital rankings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nurse staffing ratio is connected to better patient outcomes and is under the control of the hospital,\u201d Harder said. \u201cIt helps improve quality of care.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to recruiting experienced nurses, Mazzaro said these candidates understand how different designations, like Beacon<\/a>, Lantern or Magnet tie into the hospital\u2019s track record for positive patient outcomes.<\/p>\n

Designations like these give healthcare facilities \u201cbragging rights\u201d and are helpful recruiting tools, she said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a good idea to mention awards and designations directly in a job positing<\/a> as it relates to the position, Mazzaro said. Take an ED job posting<\/a> \u2014 ED nurses understand the importance of receiving Lantern designation, while critical care nurses<\/a> can appreciate the value of Beacon designation, she said.<\/p>\n

Just 19 organizations received Lantern designation this year, said Mazzaro, which makes it an honor to work in such a facility. She said nurses like to add those designation pins to their name badges.<\/p>\n

Conferences you should consider attending<\/h3>\n