A year of milestones
Barnes-Jewish Hospital entered 2018 facing four milestone events while fulfilling our mission of taking exceptional care of people.
Parkview Tower
In February, Barnes-Jewish Hospital officially welcomed patients into Parkview Tower. The new 12-story inpatient tower was designed to enhance the care and comfort of patients at Barnes-Jewish and Siteman Cancer Center.
The distinct design of the tower will shape the lives of countless patients, team members, physicians and the greater community as it expands clinical care at the Siteman Cancer Center, grows the hospital’s surgical programs, and launches St. Louis’ most advanced, integrated center dedicated to women’s health.
By the numbers
- Square feet: 558,000
- Stories: 12
Siteman Cancer Center space
- 160 private rooms
- 10 bone marrow transplant intensive care unit (ICU) beds
Women & Infants Center space
- 52 obstetrics inpatient beds
- 18 labor and delivery rooms
- 12 women’s assessment rooms
- 3 C-section rooms
- 1 fetal surgery operating room
Other space for adult patients
- 15 inpatient ICU beds
- 12 operating rooms
- 5 interventional rooms
Magnet
In 2018, Barnes-Jewish Hospital once again achieved the highest acknowledgment of nursing excellence — Magnet recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). To confer Magnet designation, the ANCC looks for evidence of excellence in the following areas: transformational leadership, structural empowerment, exemplary professional practice, new knowledge, innovations and improvements, and empirical outcomes. Barnes-Jewish submitted more than 1,000 pages of documentation and then participated in a four-day on-site review by an ANCC appraisal team in January.
In 2003, Barnes-Jewish was the first adult hospital in Missouri to receive Magnet designation. Hospitals must apply for Magnet program re-designation every four years, and Barnes-Jewish is among less than 1 percent of hospitals in the U.S. that have maintained this status since the program was launched in 2003.
Research cited by the ANCC indicates that hospitals embracing Magnet standards achieve better nurse satisfaction and an improved patient experience. Barnes-Jewish has a staff of 3,738 nurses, and 82 percent of them hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Epic
In June, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, along with Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital, successfully implemented Epic, a new electronic health record system. The implementation on our campus added about 40,000 enterprise Epic users, making it one of the largest go-live events in Epic’s history.
The official go-live date followed months of planning and training. During the first days of using the new system, issues arose and were quickly addressed and resolved. Epic support personnel reported they have never seen an organization so prepared at go-live. Team members throughout the organization continue to provide feedback on ways to further optimize Epic to improve daily work.
The implementation of one electronic medical record platform throughout BJC facilities and the Washington University Faculty Practice Plan is a significant and important step for our patients. This standardization has resulted in improved accuracy, timeliness and increased satisfaction among both patients and clinicians.
The Joint Commission
To participate in government payment programs, U.S. hospitals must undergo review by The Joint Commission every three years. In December 2018, a team of surveyors from The Joint Commission arrived to conduct the hospital’s triennial review. Six surveyors logged more than 150 hours of direct observation as they visited every part of the hospital – surgical and medicine floors, ORs, ICUs, along with off-site locations such as the Psychiatric Support Center, Chesterfield Orthopedics and our South County facilities.
Barnes-Jewish team members were eager to showcase their work and commitment to excellence. The surveyors noted many best practices and the unique ways Barnes-Jewish team members support each other. By the end of the week, The Joint Commission validated what hospital staff already knew: that Barnes-Jewish is among the very best places to receive the highest quality care, delivered by the very best people.