Legislation Would Require Public Meetings for Hospitals

Story updated on May 4.
TRENTON — Should New Jersey hospitals be required to hold monthly public board meetings so that members of the community could ask questions or voice concerns about care? One Hudson County state senator certainly thinks so, but some healthcare providers aren’t so sure.
According to a release, Sen. Brian Stack (D-33rd) plans to introduce legislation to that end when the Legislature returns from its budget break in May.
“The fact that there are no regular public board meetings at hospitals is absurd,” said Stack. “Hospitals, especially those receiving taxpayer support, should be accountable to the community members they serve.”
The senator’s proposal comes after his mother had a cancer treatment cancelled the morning of her appointment, which she scheduled at Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) a month prior. Stack said he made several phone calls, and learned he wasn’t able ask board members about hospital policy. Stack believes countless others had similar problems at hospitals across the state, the release stated.
In its defense, a hospital spokesperson denies any cancellation.
“Following best practice to assure quality care, HUMC offered Sen. Stack the option to arrange for his mother to meet with a physician who might be better suited to her case, or to keep the current appointment,” said Anne Marie Campbell, vice president of public relations. “HUMC never cancelled the appointment.”
Regardless of blame, Stack’s measure would require all hospitals receiving government funding to open their meetings to the public, to hold at least one per month, and to make meeting minutes public also.
“It’s not Margaret Stack, but it’s the Margaret Stacks of the world that I’m concerned with,” said Stack. “I’m concerned about anyone who is encountering roadblocks when trying to get information about care.”
Local Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1st) told the Herald he thinks Stack’s proposal is “certainly a great idea.”
“We have regular public meetings for our councils, committees and school boards,” said Van Drew, a dentist by profession. “And those things can impact life less than hospitals, which often deal in life and death matters. People who live in a community should understand what’s going on at their local hospitals. It’s their healthcare at stake.”
He said he would be “fully supportive” of this legislation.
The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) likes the openness but wants to hear more about Stack’s proposal.
“The Department will have to review the specifics of the legislation, but in general we support increased transparency in all aspects of the healthcare system,” said Dawn Thomas, a DHSS spokesperson.
The Herald asked the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA), a trade group that advocates for this state’s hospitals, if it supported Stack’s proposed legislation.
“There isn’t any legislation to review yet so we don’t have a formal position,” said Kerry McKean-Kelly, NJHA vice president of communications. “We look forward to working with Sen. Stack to better understand his concerns and the legislation he is proposing.”
Current state law requires hospitals to hold one public meeting a year. McKean noted that hospitals already comply with that regulation.
“For the most part those meetings have attracted very little public participation,” she noted. “However, we do want to be sure that the concerns of patients and the broader community are responded to appropriately. There are many avenues for those types of conversations to occur – not just public meetings, but also through our hospitals’ patient advocates, through community outreach sessions and through liaison programs.”
“I think I speak for all of our hospitals when I say that any patient or family member with a concern is encouraged to pick up the phone or visit in person to share their thoughts with the hospital,” McKean said.
The Herald also asked some local hospitals what they thought of mandatory monthly public meetings. Rather than addressing the proposed legislation directly, the hospitals noted some measures they take to keep the community informed.
According to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center Public Relations Director Jennifer Tornetta, the medical center held public meetings at three different locations — Mainland Campus in Pomona, Atlantic City Campus as well as the AtlantiCare LifeCenter in Egg Harbor Township in November.
“In addition to opening these board meetings to the community, we regularly hold community advisory group meetings to learn about community needs, answer questions about programs and services and ask for suggestions and feedback,” Tornetta said. “We are committed to transparency.”
The medical center also has a quality link on its website, responds patient and customer inquiries for information and encourages board members to meet with community groups to learn more about their needs.
Similarly, Cape Regional Medical Center spokesman Tom Piratzky noted that the hospital conducted its annual public meeting in December with board members and management in attendance.
“Cape Regional Medical Center offers many opportunities for our patients and broader community to respond and interact with members of the Medical Center through our full time patient advocate and the numerous health fairs and speaking engagements attended in the community on an ongoing basis,” Piratzky added.
“Shore Memorial Hospital takes a patient-centered approach to care, and that means interacting with patients, their loved ones and the community on a daily basis,” said Shore Memorial spokesperson Courtney Spahr. “We have found that going out to where the people are — whether it be a town council meeting or a community health fair — has been very successful in building relationships and understanding the needs of our community.”
Spahr said the hospital was accessible through business and civic groups, periodic focus groups, a “Contact Us” feature on the hospital’s Web site, an interactive Facebook page, monthly newsletters and its annual published report. She also noted that Shore Memorial’s first Annual Community Meeting was last June and its next will be on June 7 at 7 p.m. in the hospital’s DiOrio Hall.