Lehigh Valley Hospital Again Achieves Magnet® Recognition for Nursing Excellence
LVH is one of only 26 hospitals worldwide to be Magnet-designated six times
Lehigh Valley, Pa. (Oct. 23, 2025) – For the sixth time, Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH), part of Jefferson Health, attained Magnet® recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)’s Magnet Recognition Program®. Magnet designation distinguishes health care organizations that meet rigorous standards for nursing excellence. Worldwide, only 26 of the 642 current Magnet hospitals have achieved the distinction six times.
LVH – which includes LVH–Cedar Crest, Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, LVH–Muhlenberg, LVH–17th Street, LVH–Hecktown Oaks, LVH–Carbon, LVHN–Tilghman, LVHN–1503 N. Cedar Crest, LVHN–Highland Avenue, home care and hospice services – is the only Magnet hospital in the Lehigh Valley region and first achieved the designation in 2002.
“Magnet recognition is an important acknowledgment that reflects our commitment to delivering the highest quality of care to this community,” said Kate FitzPatrick, DNP, RN, ACNP, NEA-BC, FAAN, FAONL, Chief Nurse Executive Officer, Jefferson Health. “Earning Magnet six times is an incredible source of pride for our nurses and the health system. It underscores the foundation of excellence and values that drive our entire staff to strive harder each day to meet the health care needs of the people we serve.”
Magnet recognition is the gold standard for nursing excellence. Research shows Magnet designation provides benefits to health care organizations and the community, including higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication and higher role satisfaction among nurses.
To achieve designation, organizations must sustain rigorous empirical outcomes. This redesignation process includes submission of clinical and engagement outcomes and summaries of quality improvement work led by nurses that are reviewed and scored by external experts. If written application for survey meets scoring threshold, organizations undergo an onsite visit and final review by the Commission on Magnet Recognition.
“Magnet recognition raises the bar for patient care and inspires every member of our team to achieve excellence every day,” said Chrissie Hartner, DNP, MBA, RN, NE-BC, HN-BC, Chief Nursing Officer of the Lehigh Valley Region. “It is this commitment to providing our community with high-quality care that helped us become a Magnet-recognized organization, and it’s why we continue to pursue and maintain Magnet recognition.”
Jefferson Health has three additional Magnet designations in the system: Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Jefferson Health – New Jersey and Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital.
Health care organizations must reapply for Magnet recognition every four years. Recertification is based on adherence to Magnet concepts. Hospitals must demonstrate improvements in patient care and quality. They must also provide documented evidence to demonstrate how staff sustained and improved Magnet concepts, performance and quality over the four-year period since the organization received its most recent recognition.
About Jefferson
Lehigh Valley Health Network is now proudly part of Jefferson Health. Nationally ranked, Jefferson, which is principally located in the Greater Philadelphia region, Lehigh Valley and northeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey, is reimagining health care and higher education to create unparalleled value. Jefferson is more than 65,000 people strong, dedicated to providing the highest-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients; making our communities healthier and stronger; preparing tomorrow’s professional leaders for 21st-century careers; and creating new knowledge through basic/programmatic, clinical and applied research. Thomas Jefferson University, home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson College of Nursing, and the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce, dates back to 1824 and today comprises 10 colleges and three schools offering 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 8,300 students. Jefferson Health, nationally ranked as one of the top 15 not-for-profit health care systems in the country and the largest provider in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas, serves patients through millions of encounters each year at 32 hospitals and more than 700 outpatient and urgent care locations throughout the region. Jefferson Health Plans is a not-for-profit managed health care organization providing a broad range of health coverage options in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for more than 40 years.
About ANCC’s Magnet Recognition Program
The Magnet Recognition Program, administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the largest and most prominent nurses credentialing organization in the world, identifies health care organizations that provide the very best in nursing care and professionalism in nursing practice. The Magnet Recognition Program serves as the gold standard for nursing excellence and provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care. For more information about the Magnet Recognition Program and current statistics, visit www.nursingworld.org/magnet.
Information provided to TVL by:
Priscilla Turbitt
