Overlook Medical Center Awarded For 'Excellent' Surgical Patient Care

SUMMIT, NJ — Summit's Overlook Medical Center recently earned a national award for its high quality of safety in the operating room.

The hospital received the Center of OR Excellence Award by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN). The award recognizes Overlook's surgical units for measured improvement in every aspect of surgical patient care.

“The amazing capabilities of Overlook’s surgical department begin with a commitment to quality
and safety,” said Ophelia Byers, the chief nursing officer at Overlook. “Our surgical
team uses evidence-based best practices and a collaborative approach to ensure great outcomes
for our patients.”

As part of AORN’s review, Overlook’s surgical team was analyzed for its use of continuous education, best practice and efforts in communication, ethics and innovation, according to Atlantic Health System.

"An example of this dynamic is the Overlook surgical team’s approach to safe handling of patients as they transition from pre-op to post-op settings," Atlantic Health said. "The Overlook team has implemented initiatives for all patient interactions in which team members confirm the patient and procedure against two different patient identifiers, one of the fail-safes and triggers that prevents common surgical errors from occurring."

The surgical team’s high physician involvement, such as leading timeouts for the team, was also noted in the review.

“Across the country, hospital facilities continuously strive to provide consistent, high quality patient care and it is important they be recognized for their achievement,” said Linda Groah, Executive Director/CEO of AORN. “The CORE Award is a testament to Overlook Medical Center’s clinical experience and their commitment to their patients and staff.”

According to Atlantic Health, AORN's CORE Award provides health care facilities with a tool to measure and then report on the quality and safety of individual operating room units.

Overlook has received several awards for its patient care in the past. See below:

Summit Overlook Medical Center Gets 'A' Grade For Patient Safety

Summit Overlook Hospital Ranked Among Top 50 Best U.S. Hospitals