Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital receives nursing honor

LAKE FOREST – Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital received its fourth Magnet designation and its first Magnet with Distinction designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital is only the fourth hospital in Illinois to receive Magnet with Distinction, which recognizes top-tier organizations that have achieved the highest level of nursing excellence. Only about 10% of hospitals in the U.S. receive Magnet designation and only 23 hospitals in the U.S. have received the “with distinction” designation.

“I am proud and honored to work alongside our wonderful nursing teams who demonstrate the deep impact of their nursing professional practice on our Patients First mission through the Magnet with Distinction designation. This honor reflects the collaborative practice that permeates throughout all members of the interprofessional team to create a caring and healthy environment at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital,” said Karen Mahnke, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, vice president of operations and Bernthal Family chief nurse executive at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital. “Each day, our nurses go above and beyond their day-to-day duties to ensure our patients receive the highest level of care.”

This commitment to patient care includes Liliya Kofman, a nurse in the wound department at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital. She was determined to help a patient’s wound that was not healing properly after years of trying. After speaking with the patient’s daughter, Kofman researched an anti-biofilm silver dressing that she learned had potential to help heal the wound and went through the necessary steps to have it sent to be tested for efficacy. They obtained samples of the dressing and provided it to the patient. Within one week, the wound showed improvement. Working with the physicians to show its efficacy, the product was eventually added to the formulary and is now another potential treatment to help a wound heal faster.

“Patient care is our priority,” Kofman said in a news release. “If there are new ways to help treat our patients offering stronger results, we will take the necessary steps to see that through. I was pleased to be a part of a team effort to better serve our patient and am proud that this may help many future patients as well.”

The nursing program continues to evolve and is continually open to new programs that are believed to improve patient care. One example is the Hospital at Home program recently launched by Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, where a team of nurses, physicians, technicians and support staff based at the hospital reimagined patient care delivery allowing eligible patients to receive inpatient-level care in the comfort of their own homes. The Hospital at Home program aims to enhance patient experience while maintaining high-quality care standards and is supported by advanced technology and a dedicated team of health care professionals.

Patients receive daily care from a specialized Northwestern Medicine team that includes two in-person nurse visits a day and one virtual physician visit daily coinciding with the nurse visit. It also includes remote health monitoring using provided technology, a tablet for virtual consultations and transportation services between home and hospital for patients as needed.