Overlook Hospital is a 504-bed
non-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
teaching hospital
A teaching hospital is a hospital or medical centre that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities and are often co-located ...
located in
Summit, New Jersey
Summit is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The city is located on a ridge in northern- central New Jersey, within the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions in the New York metropolitan area. At the 2010 United Sta ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, 20 miles west of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. 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
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used ...
and surrounding communities in
Northern New Jersey
North Jersey comprises the northern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of northern New Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquial one rather than an administrativ ...
.
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 Valley 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 Ann Austin Holt (born December 12, 1962) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. She won three Grand Slam titles: the women's singles titles at the 1979 and 1981 US Opens, and the mixed doubles title at the 1980 Wimbledon ...
was brought to the emergency department
An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pati ...
following a car accident, and was treated and released. In 1991, Overlook was estimated to have 30,000 emergency department 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
The Baltusrol Golf Club is a private 36-hole golf club in the eastern United States, located in Springfield, New Jersey, about west of New York City. It was founded in 1895 by Louis Keller.
In 1985, Baltusrol became the first club to have ho ...
, a tree branch toppled and seriously hurt one man who was taken to Overlook.
Description
Overview
Overlook Hospital is part of Atlantic Health System which also runs the Morristown Medical Center
Morristown Medical Center (MMC) is a 735 bed non-profit, tertiary, research and academic medical center located in Morristown, New Jersey, serving northern New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area. The hospital is the flagship facility of A ...
. Overlook is located in Summit, NJ.[ 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 department 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 a ]helipad
A helipad is a landing area or platform for helicopters and powered lift aircraft.
While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard s ...
.[ Since the hospital is on a hill, there are few obstructions for helicopter blades.] In October 2009, Overlook president Alan Lieber sent a letter to residents of Summit
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used ...
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
220px, Intensive care unit
An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensiv ...
, Neuro Intensive Care Unit, Cardiac Care unit, and the Neo-Natal intensive care unit.[
Overlook has doctors who specialize in ]pain management
Pain management is an aspect of medicine and health care involving relief of pain (pain relief, analgesia, pain control) in various dimensions, from acute and simple to chronic and challenging. Most physicians and other health professionals pr ...
. 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
A do-not-resuscitate order (DNR), also known as Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR), Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR), no code or allow natural death, is a medical order, written or oral depending on country, indicating tha ...
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
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
to study cultural differences.
Specialized departments and centers
Overlook has the following departments: Cancer center, Cardiology
Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart d ...
, Dental surgery
Dental surgery is any of a number of medical procedures that involve artificially modifying dentition; in other words, surgery of the teeth, gums and jaw bones.
Types
Some of the more common are:
* Endodontic (surgery involving the pulp or root ...
, Dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medical ...
, Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- “belly”, -énteron “intestine”, and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract ...
, Intensive care unit, Internal medicine, Neurology
Neurology (from el, wikt:νεῦρον, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix wikt:-logia, -logia, "study of") is the branch of specialty (medicine), medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of co ...
, OB/GYN
Obstetrics and Gynaecology (also spelled as Obstetrics and Gynecology; abbreviated as Obs and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and t ...
, Orthopedic services, Pathology
Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...
, Pediatrics
Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until th ...
, Physical therapy
Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...
, Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniofa ...
, Psychiatric ward
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...
, Radiology
Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiat ...
, Rehabilitation services
Physical medicine and rehabilitation, also known as physiatry, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to people with physical impairments or disabilities. This can include conditions su ...
, Surgery
Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...
, Trauma center
A trauma center (or trauma centre) is a hospital equipped and staffed to provide care for patients suffering from major trauma, major traumatic injuries such as Falling (accident), falls, motor vehicle collisions, or gunshot wounds. A trauma cent ...
, and Urology
Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and '' -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary-tract system and the reproductive org ...
.[ 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 unit
220px, Intensive care unit
An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensiv ...
and well-baby nursery rotations.[
* Neuroscience Institute offers ]brain tumor
A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...
and epilepsy
Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...
programs as well as neurointerventional radiology
Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiat ...
.[
* 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 ]meditation
Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...
.[
* Chest Pain Center.][
* same-day surgery Center.][
* Hernia Center.][
* Wound Care Center.][
* Medicare-certified home care and hospice program.][
* specialized center for ]bariatrics
Bariatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the causes, prevention, and treatment of obesity.
Terminology
The term ''bariatrics'' was coined around 1965,Dictionary.com, based on Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Random House (2006)R ...
.[
* 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 Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University.
Accreditations
Overlook is accredited by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Health Care Organizations or JCAHO.[ Overlook is a member of the American Hospital Association; and is a member of the Hospital Quality Alliance.]
Finances
Overlook's parent, Atlantic Health system, was given an "A1" rating by Moody's Investors Service
Moody's Investors Service, often referred to as Moody's, is the bond credit rating business of Moody's Corporation, representing the company's traditional line of business and its historical name. Moody's Investors Service provides international ...
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
The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...
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.]
Controversies
In the early 1990s, Overlook, a hospital in northern New Jersey and away from the large urban centers, was contrasted with the urban hospital of St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center. 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.][
]
Legal controversies
On June 21, 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that AHS Hospital Corp., Atlantic Health System Inc., and Overlook Hospital agreed to pay the United States $8,999,999 to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by allegedly overbilling Medicare. The settlement is part of the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) initiative.
The settlement resolves allegations that Overlook Hospital, owned and operated by AHS Hospital Corporation, and Atlantic Health Systems Inc., overbilled Medicare for patients who were treated on an inpatient basis when they should have been treated as either observation patients or on an outpatient basis.
The settlement partially resolves a False Claims Act
The False Claims Act (FCA), also called the "Lincoln Law", is an American federal law that imposes liability on persons and companies (typically federal contractors) who defraud governmental programs. It is the federal government's primary litigat ...
suit filed by former employees of Overlook Hospital in U.S. ex rel. Doe et al. v. AHS Hospital Corp., et al., Civ. No. 08-2042 (D.N.J.).
Rail trail at Overlook
Area residents have proposed a 7.3-mile pedestrian linear park
A linear park is a type of park that is significantly longer than it is wide. These linear parks are strips of public land running along canals, rivers, streams, defensive walls, electrical lines, or highways and shorelines. Examples of linear p ...
along the main line of the abandoned Rahway Valley Railroad
The Rahway Valley Railroad (RVRR) was a short-line railroad in the Northeastern United States which connected the Lehigh Valley Railroad in Roselle Park and the Central Railroad of New Jersey in Cranford with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western ...
. The rail trail
A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...
would run eastbound from the medical center on the edge of downtown Summit
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used ...
and head south along the old railbed through Springfield
Springfield may refer to:
* Springfield (toponym), the place name in general
Places and locations Australia
* Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast)
* Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council)
* Springfield, Queenslan ...
, Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
, Kenilworth
Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a ...
and ending at the southwest edge of Roselle Park
Roselle may refer to:
* Roselle (plant), a species of hibiscus (''Hibiscus sabdariffa'')
**A drink made from that plant, also called "Hibiscus tea"
Roselle is the/a name of:
; People
* Mike Roselle - American environmental activist and author
; ...
at the Cranford border. A northern portion of the rail trail on the RVRR main line is under construction as the Summit Park Line, with a footbridge over Morris Avenue installed in October 2022. In parallel, advocates have been pushing for immediate development of the portion south of Route 22, running past the Galloping Hill Golf Course through Kenilworth and Roselle Park. The New Jersey Department of Transportion, which owns the railbed, has been working to clear it in anticipation of possible future trail use.
See also
* List of hospitals in New Jersey
List of hospitals in New Jersey (U.S. state), sorted by hospital name. As of 2014, there were 72 acute care hospitals in the state.
* AcuteCare Health System - Specialty Hospital at Kimball, Lakewood
* Ancora Psychiatric Hospital, Ancora (Wins ...
References
External links
Atlantic Health website
{{authority control
Hospitals in New Jersey
Summit, New Jersey
Hospitals established in 1906
Buildings and structures in Union County, New Jersey
1906 establishments in New Jersey