THRESHOLD will be closed on Friday, April 3rd. We will reopen for business on Monday, April 6th.  

How to Safely Allow Visitors To Your Hospital in a COVID-Exposed World (Fourth of a Seven-Part Series)

Last updated: September 3, 2024
How to safely allow visitors to your hospital in a COVID-exposed world (fourth of a seven-part series)

How to choose the right visitor management system (VMS) for signing in and badging your visitors

Choosing the right VMS requires asking the right questions.

A good visitor management system, or VMS, lets you sign in, identify, and track your visitors. This helps protect your patients and staff from outsiders.

Every hospital has different needs. So ask yourself the following questions to help you choose the right visitor management system for your hospital, as determined by its policies and procedures.

How much security should my VMS provide?

  • Does it take a driver’s license or other government issued I.D.?
    This verifies that visitors are who they say they are.
  • Does the badge show instantly …
    • If a visitor has signed in today?
      And not just reusing an old badge?
    • That a visitor is in the right place?
      More than ever, visitors must not be allowed to wander.
    • That a visitor has been screened?
      Is it your policy that no one gets a badge unless they have been screened?
  • Does it keep a record that can be easily referenced?
    How quickly can you determine if or when a visitor has been here before?
  • How reliable is your VMS?
    What happens if you lose power or internet access?
    Do you have a back-up system, like a visitor sign-in book with badges?

How much should my VMS cost?

  • Said another way, what is security worth to you?
  • To help you assess the value of badging your visitors, see the next two parts of this series: on Risks (page 7 of the complete Guide) and Benefits (page 8 of the complete Guide).

How easy is it to set up and to use?

  • Does your VMS integrate with electronic medical records or is it stand-alone (for simplicity and privacy)?
  • Does it require a lot of training for your staff or volunteers?
  • Can it be used by visitors to sign themselves in?
  • Does it require much data storage or is it cloud based?
  • Are updates included and easily implemented?

How quickly does my VMS process visitors?

  • Hospitals have always had to balance the convenience of their visitors with the health and safety of their patients and staff. Lately the balance has shifted more toward the latter.
  • Still, with tighter screening procedures, your visitor management system should not create longer lines in your lobby.
  • Speed as a priority for your VMS may depend on how many visitors you allow and how complex you make your screening process.

How does my visitor management system appear to the general public?

  • Do the badges literally “look good”?
  • More important, does the system convey the appearance of added security that will (a) improve visitor behavior and (b) give visitors the confidence they can enter your hospital safely?
  • Does the system ensure that visitors sign in each day?
  • Does it add to, or detract from, the patient experience and overall satisfaction?

(Next: Part Five — The risks of not managing your visitors properly. Download our complete guide to safely allowing visitors.)

Picture of Andrew Jones

Andrew Jones

Andy began his career writing for newspapers, and then switched to writing advertising copy: mainly direct-mail brochures, packages, and catalogs, some print ads, and more recently internet marketing. Throughout, he has been involved in the planning, targeting, design, and production of these pieces as well. He has been with THRESHOLD since 1996. Andy’s roots are in North Jersey and New England, so he has affection for sports teams from both areas. He enjoys visiting bookstores and historical places, and spending time with his wife and three grown children (along with their spouses, a grandson, and a granddog), usually with a camera in hand.
Picture of Andrew Jones

Andrew Jones

Andy began his career writing for newspapers, and then switched to writing advertising copy: mainly direct-mail brochures, packages, and catalogs, some print ads, and more recently internet marketing. Throughout, he has been involved in the planning, targeting, design, and production of these pieces as well. He has been with THRESHOLD since 1996. Andy’s roots are in North Jersey and New England, so he has affection for sports teams from both areas. He enjoys visiting bookstores and historical places, and spending time with his wife and three grown children (along with their spouses, a grandson, and a granddog), usually with a camera in hand.

Subscribe to THRESHOLD Updates

Sheryl Kantor

Financial Analyst

Sheryl joined Threshold in April 2025. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Central CT State University in 2001 and went on to build a career spanning more than 20 years in regulated private water utilities. While Threshold operates in a very different industry, Sheryl brings extensive financial expertise and a strong foundation in regulatory environments. In her role, she is responsible for all accounting functions at Threshold, including the preparation of monthly financial statements, corporate reporting, cost analysis and the development of annual budgets. She also oversees the finance department, ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and strategic financial management across the organization.

Sheryl enjoys spending quality time with her sons and her dog, Ozzy. She has a passion for cooking and baking, and loves attending country music concerts whenever she gets the chance. In her free time, she’s happiest outdoors – whether that’s hiking scenic trails or relaxing by a cozy fire.

Stacy Keefer

Production Manager

Stacy Keefer is a results-driven operations and production professional with over 25 years of experience improving workflows, managing production schedules, and supporting business growth. She is known for streamlining processes, coordinating with vendors, and delivering projects efficiently and on spec. Stacy brings a practical, hands-on approach to solving operational challenges and driving performance across teams.

When not working, she can be found fishing, hiking, or enjoying a round of disc golf.

Aris DiGiulio

Senior Product Manager

Aris DiGiulio joined Threshold as Senior Product Manager in 2024, bringing more than a decade of diverse experience in brand management, new product development, consulting and entrepreneurship. In this role, Aris leads the Product team in all innovation efforts while supervising management of the existing product portfolio. He also directs the support and development team for eVisitor, Threshold’s successful proprietary visitor management software used by organizations to streamline access management.

With prior experience at large global organizations including Diageo, Schick and Kobrand Corporation, Aris is focused on driving innovation while maintaining a high level of product quality and customer support that defines the Threshold organization. This has resulted in multiple new products and software enhancements that have delivered solutions and improved experiences for businesses, visitors, contractors and employees.

Aris earned his bachelor’s degree from Stony Brook University and an MBA from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business. He resides in Fairfield, Connecticut and enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters.

Noel Turner

Director of Sales and Marketing

Noel Turner is a seasoned veteran in the visitor management marketplace. She is currently the Director of Sales and Marketing for Threshold Visitor Systems, an Avery Products Company. Her employment there spans twenty years, the last eight in her current position.

Her degree in communications and her industry experience have served her well in leadership roles with the ASIS and ISDA (Identification Security Dealers Association), leading national trade organizations in the security marketplace. She’s an industry expert in bringing together businesses, which collectively and efficiently solve the end user’s visitor security issues and problems with the appropriate level of sophistication, technology and cost.

In her free time, Noel loves to go camping and spend time with her dog.

Suzanne Corcoran

General Manager

Suzanne Corcoran joined Threshold in 2001 after a career in network radio sales and promotion. Starting in Sales, she quickly became part of a new Product Development team, using her marketing and project management skills to help create and launch the original Visitor Badge product line.

Over the years, she has added various management responsibilities from Production to Finance, leading to her current role as General Manager. Suzanne and the Threshold leadership team are dedicated to growth via new product development, enhanced web and digital marketing, high quality propriety products and superior service to customers and partners alike, all while fostering a collaborative and rewarding workplace culture.

10% off your first order of Parking Decals and Hang Tags

Parking Hang Tags and Decals

SIMPLE SOLUTIONS FOR PARKING IDENTIFICATION

A simple, reliable way to manage parking for staff,
residents, students, and visitors.

Use code PARK10 during checkout.

[searchwp_form id=2]

The Red Flag feature has been improved! Now you can set your system to not print a badge for any visitor record that has been previously marked with a Red Flag. The attendant will be prompted to redirect the visitor according to your security protocol.

Special New Feature: Red Flag, No Badge

Flag alertsIt’s easy and free to activate this feature. Simply call us and ask for “Red Flag, No Badge” to be turned on. Once it’s on, the above pop-up will come up when a red flagged visitor comes back. No badge will print and the attendant will need to follow the facility’s policy for handling red flagged visitors.

The flags and notes only show to the desk attendant, not the visitor. 

Please contact eVisitor Support with any questions on how to use Flags in your system. 

If you have seen a special offer in our advertising, mailings, or emails, this is the area to enter the Promo Code to receive that offer. After you’ve entered the Promo Code, click “Update cart” for the code to take effect. If you have any questions, please call 1-800-243-1969.