Overland Park, KS — Overland Park Regional Medical Center—part of HCA Midwest Health, Kansas City's leading healthcare provider—today announced that it has achieved the Pathway to Excellence® designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The hospital joins a premier group of organizations that have received the prestigious Pathway to Excellence® recognition, awarded to hospitals that offer robust work environments, resulting in higher job satisfaction, reduced turnover, improved safety, and better patient outcomes.

The Pathway designation is a global credential that highlights Overland Park Regional Medical Center's commitment to creating a healthy work environment where nurses feel empowered and are an integral part of the healthcare team, with a voice in policy and practice. As a Pathway organization, Overland Park Regional Medical Center leads the effort to enhance quality of care, patient and nursing safety, and the future of healthcare delivery.

“As a Pathway to Excellence®-designated organization, we've proven that our nursing leadership fosters a collaborative culture, our policies reflect nursing input where patient and nurse safety come first, and our nurses embody the highest standards in nursing practice,” says Overland Park Regional Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Matt Sogard, FACHE. “Every day we witness firsthand our nursing team's professionalism and compassion and know our patients and their family benefit from that care. The Pathway to Excellence affirms the professionalism that is the hallmark of our hospital's nursing leadership and staff and aligns with our mission to the care and improvement of human life above all.”

“The Pathway to Excellence is earned by healthcare organizations that create work environments in which nurses flourish and feel empowered and is a testament to professional satisfaction among nurses,” says Overland Park Regional Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Nan Rick MSN, RN, NEA-BC. “Overland Park Regional Medical Center fosters a positive and nurturing environment for nurses, so they in turn can provide high-quality, compassionate care for our patients. This achievement recognizes our organizational commitment to nursing and confirms that nurses working here know their efforts are supported and appreciated.”

For an organization to achieve the Pathway to Excellence distinction, it must successfully undergo a thorough review process that documents foundational initiatives in creating a positive work environments—as defined by nurses and supported by nursing research. These initiatives must be integrated in the facility's practices, policies, and culture. For more information on the Pathway to Excellence recognition program, visit ANCC's website at Nursing World.

For more information about Overland Park Regional Medical Center and the spectrum of comprehensive healthcare services it provides, visit Overland Park Regional Medical Center.