Morristown and Overlook among the top 1% of U.S. hospitals for overall clinical excellence
Morristown & Summit, NJ -- February 9, 2021– Atlantic Health System, a nationally-recognized provider of health care, is the only system in New Jersey with hospitals -- Morristown Medical Center and Overlook Medical Center – achieving the 2021 America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award™, as announced by Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians and health systems. This distinction places both Morristown and Overlook among the top 1% of nearly 4,500 hospitals assessed nationwide for their commitment to providing superior clinical performance as measured by Healthgrades.
Morristown caps its sixth consecutive time achieving this recognition, and this makes it two years in a row for Overlook achieving the 50 Best Hospitals Award.
“This consistent level of excellence and achievement by Morristown Medical Center for six years in a row continues to assure our communities of our unwavering commitment to the highest quality standards, coordination of care, and the best possible patient outcomes,” said Trish O’Keefe, Ph.D., RN, president of Morristown Medical Center. “We are especially proud of our dedicated medical staff and clinical team members who consistently provide extraordinary care in a safe, healing environment for our patients and communities, even throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“A year ago, we could not have imagined just how the qualities that earned us this prestigious award for the first time would be tested in the coming months,” said Alan Lieber, president of Overlook Medical Center. “Those qualities carried us through the most challenging times of this pandemic and have allowed us to continue to provide exceptional care to our patients. A year later, we have so much to celebrate, and this award is yet another a reminder of what makes us one of America’s best.”
From 2017 through 2019, patients treated in hospitals achieving the Healthgrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals award had, on average, a 25.7 percent lower risk of dying than if they were treated in hospitals that did not receive the award, as measured across 19 rated conditions and procedures for which mortality is the outcome.*
During that same period, if all hospitals performed similarly to those achieving the award, 177,026 lives could potentially have been saved. For example, patients treated for heart failure in hospitals achieving the Healthgrades America's 50 Best Hospitals Award have, on average, a 31.8 percent lower risk of dying than if they were treated in hospitals that did not receive the award.*
“COVID-19 has profoundly changed the delivery of healthcare but what is unchanged is the importance of high-quality care. Those hospitals that achieved the America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award have exhibited a long-standing commitment to quality and superior clinical outcomes, which differentiates them from other healthcare organizations. We applaud their ongoing efforts,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Healthgrades.
Recipients of the Healthgrades America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award are recognized for overall clinical excellence across a broad spectrum of care. During the 2021 study period (Medicare Fiscal Years 2017-2019), these hospitals showed superior performance in clinical outcomes for patients in the Medicare population across at least 21 of 32 most common inpatient conditions and procedures — as measured by objective performance data (risk-adjusted mortality and in-hospital complications).
To learn more about how Healthgrades determines award recipients, and for more information on Healthgrades Quality Solutions, please visit www.healthgrades.com/quality.
About Atlantic Health System
Atlantic Health System is at the forefront of medicine, setting standards for quality health care in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. Powered by a workforce of more than 17,000 team members and 4,800 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, Atlantic Health System serves more than half of the state of New Jersey including 11 counties and 4.9 million people. The not-for-profit system offers more than 400 sites of care, including seven hospitals: Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ, Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ, Newton Medical Center in Newton NJ, Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ, Hackettstown Medical Center in Hackettstown, NJ, Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ, and Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute in Madison, NJ.
Atlantic Medical Group, comprised of 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers, represents one of the largest multi-specialty practices in New Jersey and joins Atlantic Accountable Care Organization and Optimus Healthcare Partners as part of Atlantic Alliance, a Clinically Integrated Network of more than 2,500 health care providers throughout northern and central NJ.
Atlantic Health System provides care for the full continuum of health care needs through 16 urgent care centers, Atlantic Visiting Nurse and Atlantic Anywhere Virtual Visits. Facilitating the connection between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health.
Atlantic Health System leads the Healthcare Transformation Consortium, a partnership of seven regional hospitals and health systems dedicated to improving access and affordability and is a founding member of the PIER Consortium – Partners in Innovation, Education, and Research – a streamlined clinical trial system that will expand access to groundbreaking research across seven health systems in New Jersey.
Atlantic Health System has a medical school affiliation with Thomas Jefferson University and is home to the regional campus of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Morristown and Overlook Medical Centers and is the official health care partner of the New York Jets.