Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Flexible Visiting Hours at Atlantic Health System

Atlantic Health System
New Jersey
1,308 Beds

Atlantic Health System owns and operates Morristown Medical Center, Overlook Medical Center, and Newton Medical Center. The three hospitals combined have more than 2,750 affiliated physicians. They provide a wide array of services and specialty areas including advanced cardiovascular care, pediatric medical and surgical specialties, neurology, orthopedics and sports medicine.

The Problem
To encourage patient and family engagement, visiting hour restrictions were eliminated at three New Jersey hospitals in the Atlantic Health System: Morristown Medical Center, Goryeb Children’s Hospital and Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute. The open visitation policy was crafted with input from administration, nursing, medical staff, trustees, security, patients and families.

The Solution
The new policy allows for two visitors to be with a patient if both the patient and the floor nurse agreed that having visitors does not present any problems at that particular time. In the first five months of the open visitation policy, approximately 10,000 visitors came to the hospitals during the previously restricted time frames.

The Result
Patient satisfaction scores at the hospitals increased. An internal staff survey showed strong support for continuing the open visitation policy.

Lessons Learned
Initial results from implementing the open visitation policy have been positive overall. With careful planning and policy implementation, the participating medical centers avoided much of the staff resistance toward unrestricted visiting hours.

Contact Information
David J. Shulkin, MD
(973) 971-5450
david.shulkin@atlantichealth.org

This case study was originally featured in the HPOE guide: "Engaging Health Care Users: A Framework for Healthy Individuals and Communities," published January, 2013.