David Robinson|New York State Team
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A growing number of hospitals in New York are expanding patients' access to family and other trusted visitors, which hasbeen shown to improve medical outcomes, a new survey shows.
But some hospitals still have visitation policies that significantly restrict that access, leaving sickpatients to navigate the oftentimes overwhelming and complicated hospital treatment experience alone, according to the survey released Thursday byNew York Public Interest Research Group, aconsumerwatchdog.
The survey looked at visitation policies at 40 hospitals statewide as part of the group'smulti-yearpush toreform restrictive and arbitrary visitor policies that harm patients’ well-being. It also evaluated how thehospitals' websites informed people about the policies.
"Hospital patients have a better and safer experience with loved ones at their side," said Blair Horner, the group's executive director.
Among the findings:
- More than two thirds, or 27,of the hospitals surveyedprovided 12 or more hours of visiting time per day.And17 arenow offering 24-hour “open” visitation for general medical/surgical units.
- 18 of the hospital websites had clear statements encouraging the patient to designate a person, or several people, to serve as family caregivers/care partners.
- 7 hospitalshad posted policies that significantly restricted patients’ access to family and other trusted people.
What are hospital visitation rights in New York?
Thehospitals received a score based on a 10-point scale.
It included total hours of visiting time,availability of morning visiting hours,notice of availability of 24-hourvisitation at least for family caregivers/care partners and other related criteria. Policies for children as visitors earned a bonus point.
Of the hospitals surveyed, 17 received a perfect 10 or higher, which is part of a trend of improved policies from prior years.
"No one should be alone in the hospital," said Suzanne Mattei, project director of New Yorkers for Patient & Family Empowerment, an advocacy group that worked on the survey.
"The most important step a patient can take for safety is to choose a trusted family member or friend to be in the room, paying attention and asking questions as needed," Mattei added.
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The hospital scores
Here is how the hospitals, which were selected as a regional sampling, scored in the survey:
Albany Medical Center: 7
Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone: 2
Buffalo General Medical Center: 0
Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris: 5
Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Plattsburgh: 9.5
Clifton Springs Hospital: 10
Cohen Children's Medical Center in Queens: 9
Elizabethtown Community Hospital: 8
Faxton St. Luke's/St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica: 6
Glen Cove Hospital: 11+
Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffolk County: 3
Huntington Hospital on Long Island: 10+
Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan: 11+
Long Island Community Hospital, formerly Brookhaven Memorial Hospital: 2.5
Long Island Jewish - Valley Stream Hospital: 11+
Long Island Jewish Medical Center: 10+
Maria Fareri Children's Hospital in Valhalla: 9.5+
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan: 6
Montefiore Moses in Bronx: 2
Newark Wayne Community Hospital: 11
North Shore University Hospital on Long Island: 11+
Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco: 11+
NYP Brooklyn Methodist Hospital: 7
Orange Regional Medical Center in Middletown: 5.5
Peconic Bay Medical Center on Long Island: 11+
Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow: 11+
Plainview Hospital on Long Island: 11+
Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo: 6
Southside Hospital on Long Island: 11+
St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center: 6+
St. Joseph Hospital: 10.5
St. Luke's Cornwall: 5
Staten Island University Hospital: 11+
United Memorial Medical Center: 4
Unity Hospital in Rochester: 4
Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla: 8+
White Plains Hospital: 3
Montefiore Nyack Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern couldn't be properly scored due to the measles outbreak in Rockland County, which temporarily restricted their visitation policies.
The outbreak has since been declared over and the hospitals' respective visitation policies were restored, according to the survey.
Zucker Hillside Hospital in Queens also couldn't be comparatively scored because it isa psychiatric hospital, the survey shows.
The report, "Sick, Scared and Separated from Loved Ones," also measured the impact of hospital participation in the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care’s Better Together Learning Community.
Many of the hospitals improved their scores after participating in the project, Horner said, adding the push to get facilities to allow 24/7 visitation and other access improvements is ongoing.
"Getting any bureaucracy to adopt new procedures can come with some resistance," he said.
For further details about the survey report, visit nypirg.org.
David Robinsonis the New York state health care reporterfor the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at drobinson@gannett.com or followed on Twitter: @DrobinsonLoHud
