Overlook Hospital
Encyclopedia
Overlook Hospital is a 504-bed non-profit teaching hospital
located in Summit, New Jersey
, United States
, 20 miles west of New York City
. On a hill in the center of the city, the hospital is one of Summit's three largest employers and offers medical services to Summit and surrounding communities in northern New Jersey
.
and which was only ten minutes walk away from the train station. He borrowed $15,000 from three civic leaders to build the three-story structure which housed an operating room, X-ray facility, and hydraulically powered elevator. The hospital began with 42 beds, and cost approximately $30,000 in total. According to one account, the hospital was privately owned but had a policy of caring for "all proper and deserving cases whether able to pay or not, and to take emergency cases at all times."
In the 1960s, doctors experimented with new techniques; in one instance, doctors authorized use of alcoholic beverages to delay the onset of contractions of a pregnant woman. The Valerie Fund Children's Center was established in 1977 through the efforts of Edwin and Susan Goldstein of Warren after their 9-year-old daughter, Valerie, died of bone cancer. When it opened, it was the first of its kind in New Jersey. By 1987, it had three doctors, three resident nurses, a social worker and support staff. It treats "youngsters with various forms of cancer and rare blood disorders."
In 1989, tennis star Tracy Austin
was brought to the emergency room following a car accident, and was treated and released. In 1991, Overlook was estimated to have 30,000 emergency room visits annually, with 600 staff physicians and admits of 20,000 patients annually, and 170,000 to 200,000 outpatient visits annually, according to one source. Overlook began a brain tumor center in 1999. It had 538 beds in 2003. The hospital sometimes treats victims of freak accidents; for example, in 2005 at the PGA Golf Championship Golf
at the Baltusrol Golf Club
, a tree branch toppled and seriously hurt one man who was taken to Overlook.
. However, the prospect of a helipad is being explored by Summit's City Council; since the hospital is on a hill, there are fewer obstructions for helicopter blades. In October 2009, Overlook president Alan Lieber sent a letter to residents of Summit
urging them to support a helipad to reduce travel time for stroke patients in the area.
Visiting hours are from 11am to 8pm for family members, with some exceptions. In the maternity ward, parents can visit 24 hours a day. For non-family members, visiting hours are 6pm to 8pm weekdays. Only family members are allowed to visit patients in the Labor and Delivery ward, Intensive Care Unit, Neuro Intensive Care Unit, Cardiac Care unit, and the Neo-Natal intensive care unit.
Overlook has doctors who specialize in pain management
. Overlook doctors have been quoted in news reports. Some Overlook speech clinicians offer "accent reduction lessons." According to one source, Overlook gets a large number of transports involving high-risk pregnancies and sick infants. Hospital doctors sometimes comment on controversial topics such as Do Not Resuscitate
decisions. Overlook offers an educational class entitled Go Baby Green which helps parents identify products that may pose a hazard to babies. One Overlook operating room nurse, Beth Goodheart, went on two medical missions to the Dominican Republic
to study cultural differences.
, Dental surgery
, Dermatology
, Gastroenterology
, Intensive care unit, Internal medicine, Neurology
, OB/GYN, Orthopedic services
, Pathology
, Pediatrics
, Physical therapy
, Plastic surgery
, Psychiatric ward, Radiology
, Rehabilitation services
, Surgery
, Trauma center
, and Urology
. Notable departments and centers are:
in Newark
. It has a partnership with the Cancer Institute of New Jersey
. It is clinically affiliated with the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New Jersey and The Mt. Sinai Hospital
in New York.
; and is a member of the Hospital Quality Alliance.
hospitals approved to provide emergency angioplasty
in a community hospital setting. The hospital has the state's first combined PET/CT scanner and stereotactic radiosurgery cancer treatment program. Overlook won the Silver Governor's Award for Performance Excellence on two occasions.
Overlook is non-profit, and like many hospitals, has to turn to donations to make ends meet. In 2007, the foundation began a campaign to raise $100 million, according to a director of the Overlook Hospital Foundation. Donations will help Overlook "expand from being a local institution to a regional medical center." There is an Overlook Hospital Foundation Board with trustees who serve on three-year terms. Dr. John F. Vigorita, M.D., was president in 2009.
Atlantic Health owns an insurance company in the Cayman Islands
entitled AHS Insurance Limited whose purpose is to pay claims against its hospitals. A spokesperson for Atlantic Health in 2009 described this as a "standard business structure." It claimed to have paid more than $2.5 million in taxes on its revenue generating, for profit businesses in 2007, such as parking garages and real estate holdings.
While hospitals are tax exempt, they pay taxes on the revenue-producing parts. One estimate was that interns (resident) salaries for the first year were $48,000, second year $51,000, third year $54,000, for programs affiliated with the AOA
. Overlook has residency programs for doctors. As an employer, Overlook offers some employees subsidized housing, child care, meal cards, state-of-the-art libraries, online resources, and a complete benefits package. Overlook runs a cafeteria in conjunction with Baltimore-based Donna's Restaurants, Inc. The hospital pays Donna's for use of its brand name as well as methods of operation and recipes. The neurosciences research center at Overlook cost $15 million. The hospital tries to hold down costs by using special software to track expenses.
. St. Joseph's had a much greater percentage of charity patients; a reporter wrote: "the bills of patients who have health insurance or who can otherwise pay are marked up 33 percent, the surcharge going to pay for charity care;" in contrast, Overlook, which has a wealthier client base, only had a 6 percent charity markup. As a result, Overlook operated with a surplus while St. Joseph's was cash-strapped. Since Overlook could pay suppliers on time, it qualified for discounts based on the "quantity of its purchases" while the urban hospital had to pay extra charges.
Teaching hospital
A teaching hospital is a hospital that provides clinical education and training to future and current doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, in addition to delivering medical care to patients...
located in Summit, New Jersey
Summit, New Jersey
Summit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 21,457. Summit had the 16th-highest per capita income in the state as of the 2000 Census....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 20 miles west of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. On a hill in the center of the city, the hospital is one of Summit's three largest employers and offers medical services to Summit and surrounding communities in northern New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
History
Overlook Hospital was founded in 1906 by Dr. William Henry Lawrence, Jr., who, at the age of 26, bought the Faitoute property on the "highest point in Summit" overlooking the Baltusrol ValleyBaltusrol Valley
The Baltusrol Valley is in Morris County, New Jersey and Somerset County, New Jersey. It used to be known as Green Brook Valley. It drains into the Raritan River....
and which was only ten minutes walk away from the train station. He borrowed $15,000 from three civic leaders to build the three-story structure which housed an operating room, X-ray facility, and hydraulically powered elevator. The hospital began with 42 beds, and cost approximately $30,000 in total. According to one account, the hospital was privately owned but had a policy of caring for "all proper and deserving cases whether able to pay or not, and to take emergency cases at all times."
In the 1960s, doctors experimented with new techniques; in one instance, doctors authorized use of alcoholic beverages to delay the onset of contractions of a pregnant woman. The Valerie Fund Children's Center was established in 1977 through the efforts of Edwin and Susan Goldstein of Warren after their 9-year-old daughter, Valerie, died of bone cancer. When it opened, it was the first of its kind in New Jersey. By 1987, it had three doctors, three resident nurses, a social worker and support staff. It treats "youngsters with various forms of cancer and rare blood disorders."
In 1989, tennis star Tracy Austin
Tracy Austin
Tracy Ann Austin Holt is a former World No. 1 female professional tennis player from the United States who won the women's singles title at the US Open in 1979 and 1981 and the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 1980, before a series of injuries cut her career short.-To 1980:Austin defeated...
was brought to the emergency room following a car accident, and was treated and released. In 1991, Overlook was estimated to have 30,000 emergency room visits annually, with 600 staff physicians and admits of 20,000 patients annually, and 170,000 to 200,000 outpatient visits annually, according to one source. Overlook began a brain tumor center in 1999. It had 538 beds in 2003. The hospital sometimes treats victims of freak accidents; for example, in 2005 at the PGA Golf Championship Golf
Professional Golfers' Association of America
Founded in 1916, the Professional Golfers' Association of America is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and is made up of more than 28,000 men and women golf professional members...
at the Baltusrol Golf Club
Baltusrol Golf Club
The Baltusrol Golf Club is a private 36-hole golf club located in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey. Among the many prestigious tournaments it has hosted, Baltusrol was most recently the site of the 2005 PGA Championship. The course architect is A. W...
, a tree branch toppled and seriously hurt one man who was taken to Overlook.
An overview of Overlook
Overlook Hospital is part of Atlantic Health which also runs the Morristown Memorial Hospital. Overlook is located at 99 Beauvoir Avenue, Summit, NJ 07902. One estimate (2009) is that it had 832 doctors and dentists. It has 490 beds. A second estimate is there were 504 beds. Another estimate was that Overlook and Morristown hospitals together had 1,076 beds. It did 7,128 surgeries in 2008. It did 3,092 deliveries of infants in 2008. Another estimate (2009) was that Overlook, along with Morristown Memorial Hospital, delivered 6,300 newborns annually. It had 36,812 emergency room visits in 2008. It did 172,853 outpatient procedures in 2008. Overlook has a parking lot. It has a cafeteria, chapel, and gift and flower shop. Overlook has no helipadHelipad
Helipad is a common abbreviation for helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. While helicopters are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can safely...
. However, the prospect of a helipad is being explored by Summit's City Council; since the hospital is on a hill, there are fewer obstructions for helicopter blades. In October 2009, Overlook president Alan Lieber sent a letter to residents of Summit
Summit, New Jersey
Summit is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 21,457. Summit had the 16th-highest per capita income in the state as of the 2000 Census....
urging them to support a helipad to reduce travel time for stroke patients in the area.
Visiting hours are from 11am to 8pm for family members, with some exceptions. In the maternity ward, parents can visit 24 hours a day. For non-family members, visiting hours are 6pm to 8pm weekdays. Only family members are allowed to visit patients in the Labor and Delivery ward, Intensive Care Unit, Neuro Intensive Care Unit, Cardiac Care unit, and the Neo-Natal intensive care unit.
Overlook has doctors who specialize in pain management
Pain management
Pain management is a branch of medicine employing an interdisciplinary approach for easing the suffering and improving the quality of life of those living with pain. The typical pain management team includes medical practitioners, clinical psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists,...
. Overlook doctors have been quoted in news reports. Some Overlook speech clinicians offer "accent reduction lessons." According to one source, Overlook gets a large number of transports involving high-risk pregnancies and sick infants. Hospital doctors sometimes comment on controversial topics such as Do Not Resuscitate
Do not resuscitate
In medicine, a "do not resuscitate" or "DNR" is a legal order written either in the hospital or on a legal form to respect the wishes of a patient to not undergo CPR or advanced cardiac life support if their heart were to stop or they were to stop breathing...
decisions. Overlook offers an educational class entitled Go Baby Green which helps parents identify products that may pose a hazard to babies. One Overlook operating room nurse, Beth Goodheart, went on two medical missions to the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
to study cultural differences.
Specialized departments and centers
Overlook has the following departments: Cancer center, CardiologyCardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
, Dental surgery
Dental surgery
Dental surgery is any of a number of medical procedures that involve artificially modifying dentition, in other words surgery of the teeth and jaw bones.-Types:Some of the more common are:...
, Dermatology
Dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases, a unique specialty with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist takes care of diseases, in the widest sense, and some cosmetic problems of the skin, scalp, hair, and nails....
, Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. The name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gaster , enteron , and logos...
, Intensive care unit, Internal medicine, Neurology
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
, OB/GYN, Orthopedic services
Orthopedic surgery
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system...
, Pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
, Pediatrics
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
, Physical therapy
Physical therapy
Physical therapy , often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession. Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/intervention,and rehabilitation...
, Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
, Psychiatric ward, Radiology
Radiology
Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
, Rehabilitation services
Rehabilitation (neuropsychology)
Rehabilitation of sensory and cognitive function typically involves methods for retraining neural pathways or training new neural pathways to regain or improve neurocognitive functioning that has been diminished by disease or traumatic injury....
, Surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
, Trauma center
Trauma center
A trauma center is a hospital equipped to provide comprehensive emergency medical services to patients suffering traumatic injuries. Trauma centers grew into existence out of the realization that traumatic injury is a disease process unto itself requiring specialized and experienced...
, and Urology
Urology
Urology is the medical and surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological...
. Notable departments and centers are:
- osteopathic family practice.
- the Goryeb Children's Center, which also helps adolescents, is at Overlook.
- Valerie Fund Children's Cancer Center. It is a pediatric oncology cancer program.
- neonatal intensive care unitIntensive Care Unitthumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...
and well-baby nursery rotations. - Neuroscience Institute offers brain tumorBrain tumorA brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
and epilepsyEpilepsyEpilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
programs as well as neurointerventional radiologyRadiologyRadiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
. - Brain Tumor Center of New Jersey.
- Walsh Maternity Center-provides maternity and critical care services to high-risk newborns. It offers Calm Birth, an alternative approach to labor that focuses on neuromuscular release and meditationMeditationMeditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
. - Chest Pain Center.
- same-day surgery Center.
- Hernia Center.
- Wound Care Center.
- Medicare-certified home care and hospice program.
- specialized center for bariatricsBariatricsBariatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the causes, prevention, and treatment of obesity. The term bariatrics was created around 1965, from the Greek root bar- , suffix -iatr , and suffix -ic...
. - Epilepsy Center.
- center for health and eating disorders
- center for sleep medicine.
- heartburn center.
- neuro-interventional radiology program.
Affiliations and partnerships
Overlook has a clinical affiliation with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New JerseyUniversity of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is the state-run health sciences institution of New Jersey, United States. It has eight distinct academic units...
in Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. It has a partnership with the Cancer Institute of New Jersey
Cancer Institute of New Jersey
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is a cancer treatment and research institution in New Brunswick, New Jersey. CINJ is one of only 41 Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation designated by the National Cancer Institute and the only one in New Jersey....
. It is clinically affiliated with the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New Jersey and The Mt. Sinai Hospital
Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. In 2011-2012, Mount Sinai Hospital was ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.S...
in New York.
Accreditations
Overlook is accredited by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Health Care Organizations or JCAHO. Overlook is a member of the American Hospital AssociationAmerican Hospital Association
The American Hospital Association is an organization that promotes the quality provision of health care by hospitals and health care networks through such efforts as promoting effective public policy and providing information related to health care and health administration to health care...
; and is a member of the Hospital Quality Alliance.
Notable Achievements
Overlook is one of five New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
hospitals approved to provide emergency angioplasty
Angioplasty
Angioplasty is the technique of mechanically widening a narrowed or obstructed blood vessel, the latter typically being a result of atherosclerosis. An empty and collapsed balloon on a guide wire, known as a balloon catheter, is passed into the narrowed locations and then inflated to a fixed size...
in a community hospital setting. The hospital has the state's first combined PET/CT scanner and stereotactic radiosurgery cancer treatment program. Overlook won the Silver Governor's Award for Performance Excellence on two occasions.
Finances
Overlook's parent, Atlantic Health system, was given an "A1" rating by Moody's Investors Service in 2009. Admissions grew 6.8% from 2007 to 2008 and there was total operating revenue of $1.1 billion with a 2% profit margin, according to one source. The president and chief executive of Atlantic Health System in 2009 was Joseph Trunfio.Overlook is non-profit, and like many hospitals, has to turn to donations to make ends meet. In 2007, the foundation began a campaign to raise $100 million, according to a director of the Overlook Hospital Foundation. Donations will help Overlook "expand from being a local institution to a regional medical center." There is an Overlook Hospital Foundation Board with trustees who serve on three-year terms. Dr. John F. Vigorita, M.D., was president in 2009.
Atlantic Health owns an insurance company in the Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
entitled AHS Insurance Limited whose purpose is to pay claims against its hospitals. A spokesperson for Atlantic Health in 2009 described this as a "standard business structure." It claimed to have paid more than $2.5 million in taxes on its revenue generating, for profit businesses in 2007, such as parking garages and real estate holdings.
While hospitals are tax exempt, they pay taxes on the revenue-producing parts. One estimate was that interns (resident) salaries for the first year were $48,000, second year $51,000, third year $54,000, for programs affiliated with the AOA
AOA
- AOA or AoA :In aviation:* Abort Once Around, an intact abort procedure for Space Shuttle launches* Air Officer in charge of Administration, a position in RAF commands...
. Overlook has residency programs for doctors. As an employer, Overlook offers some employees subsidized housing, child care, meal cards, state-of-the-art libraries, online resources, and a complete benefits package. Overlook runs a cafeteria in conjunction with Baltimore-based Donna's Restaurants, Inc. The hospital pays Donna's for use of its brand name as well as methods of operation and recipes. The neurosciences research center at Overlook cost $15 million. The hospital tries to hold down costs by using special software to track expenses.
Controversies
In the early 1990s, Overlook, a suburban hospital, was contrasted with the urban hospital of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical CenterSt. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center
St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center is a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. It is currently operated by Catholic Healthcare West , one of the largest healthcare systems in the West with 40 hospitals in Arizona, California and Nevada. St...
. St. Joseph's had a much greater percentage of charity patients; a reporter wrote: "the bills of patients who have health insurance or who can otherwise pay are marked up 33 percent, the surcharge going to pay for charity care;" in contrast, Overlook, which has a wealthier client base, only had a 6 percent charity markup. As a result, Overlook operated with a surplus while St. Joseph's was cash-strapped. Since Overlook could pay suppliers on time, it qualified for discounts based on the "quantity of its purchases" while the urban hospital had to pay extra charges.