reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.27 - Findings, declarations relative to designation of stroke centers.

26:2H-12.27 Findings, declarations relative to designation of stroke centers.
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Despite significant advances in diagnosis, treatment and prevention, stroke remains a common disorder; an estimated 700,000 to 750,000 new and recurrent strokes occur each year in this country; and with the aging of the population, the number of persons who have strokes is projected to increase;
b. Although new treatments are available to improve the clinical outcomes of stroke, many acute care hospitals lack the necessary staff and equipment to optimally triage and treat stroke patients, including the provision of optimal, safe and effective emergency care for these patients;
c. Two levels of stroke centers should be established for the treatment of acute stroke. Primary stroke centers should be established in as many acute care hospitals as possible. These centers would evaluate, stabilize and provide emergency care to patients with acute stroke and then, depending on the patient's needs and the center's capabilities, either admit the patient and provide inpatient care or transfer the patient to a comprehensive stroke center. Comprehensive stroke centers should be established in hospitals that meet the criteria set forth in this act, to ensure coverage for all patients throughout the State who require this level of care. These centers would provide complete and specialized care to patients who experience the most complex strokes, which require specialized testing, highly technical procedures and other interventions. Also, these centers would provide education and guidance to affiliated primary stroke centers;
d. There is a public health need for acute care hospitals in this State to establish stroke centers to ensure the rapid triage, diagnostic evaluation and treatment of patients suffering a stroke. This should result in increased survival and a decrease in the disabilities associated with stroke; and
e. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the residents of this State to establish a program to designate stroke centers throughout the State, to provide specific patient care and support services criteria that stroke centers must meet in order to ensure that stroke patients receive safe and effective care, and to provide financial support to acute care hospitals to encourage them to develop stroke centers in all areas of the State.
L.2004,c.136,s.1.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.31 - Awarding of matching grants to designated stroke centers.

26:2H-12.31 Awarding of matching grants to designated stroke centers.
5. a. In order to encourage and ensure the establishment of stroke centers throughout the State, the Commissioner of Health shall award matching grants to hospitals that seek designation as stroke centers and demonstrate a need for financial assistance to develop the necessary infrastructure, including personnel and equipment, in order to satisfy the criteria for designation provided pursuant to this act. The matching grants shall not exceed $250,000 or 50% of the hospital's cost for developing the necessary infrastructure, whichever is less.
b. A hospital seeking designation as a stroke center shall apply to the commissioner for a matching grant, in a manner and on a form required by the commissioner, and provide such information as the commissioner deems necessary to determine if the hospital is eligible for the grant.
c. The commissioner may provide matching grants to as many hospitals as the commissioner deems appropriate, except that:
(1) Matching grant awards shall be made to at least two applicant hospitals in the northern region of this State (comprising Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Passaic, Morris, Sussex, and Warren counties), at least two applicant hospitals in the central region of this State (comprising Union, Somerset, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Monmouth counties) and at least two applicant hospitals in the southern region of this State (comprising Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Cape May, Atlantic, and Ocean counties), provided in the case of each region that the applicant hospitals receiving the awards must be eligible therefor under the provisions of this act; and
(2) No more than 20% of the funds appropriated pursuant to this act shall be allocated to hospitals that seek designation as comprehensive stroke centers.
L.2004, c.136, s.5; amended 2012, c.17, s.195.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.32 - Report to Governor, Legislature.

26:2H-12.32 Report to Governor, Legislature.
6. The Commissioner of Health shall, not later than September 1, 2005, prepare and submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the General Assembly a report indicating, as of June 30, 2005, the total number of hospitals that shall have applied for grants under section 5 of this act and the number of those applicants that shall have been found to be eligible for such grants, the total number of grants awarded, the name and address of each grantee hospital and the amount of the award to each, and the amount of each award that shall have been paid to the grantee.
L.2004, c.136, s.6; amended 2012, c.17, s.196.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.33 - Availability of certain information on departmental website.

26:2H-12.33 Availability of certain information on departmental website.
1. a. The Department of Health shall make available to the public, through its official department website, information regarding:
(1) the ownership of each long-term care facility and adult day health services facility licensed by the department; and
(2) any violation of statutory standards or rules and regulations of the department pertaining to the care of patients or physical plant standards found at any such facility by the department.
As used in this section, "long-term care facility" means a nursing home, assisted living residence, comprehensive personal care home, residential health care facility, or dementia care home licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.).
b. The information made available to the public pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall be provided in a manner that would enable a member of the public to search the website by name of a facility or its owner in order to access the information. The department shall also make the information available in writing, upon request.
c. The information regarding the ownership of a long-term care or adult day health services facility that is made available to the public pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall provide, at a minimum: the name of the owner of a facility as listed on the facility's license and, if there is more than one owner or the facility is owned by a corporation, the name of each person who holds at least a 10 percent interest in the facility; the name of any other licensed long-term care or adult day health services facility in the State owned by this owner, corporation, and each person who holds at least a 10 percent interest in the facility, as applicable; and the address and contact information for the facility.
d. The information that is displayed on the official department website pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall include Internet web links to the New Jersey Report Card for Nursing Homes maintained by the department and the Medicare Nursing Home Compare database maintained by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
L.2007, c.65, s.1; amended 2012, c.17, s.197; 2015, c.125, s.3.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.34 - Training required for service as trustee of general hospital, conditions.

26:2H-12.34 Training required for service as trustee of general hospital, conditions.
1. a. (1) As a condition of serving as a member of the board of trustees of a general hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.), a person shall be required to complete a training program approved by the Commissioner of Health that is designed to clarify the roles and duties of a hospital trustee and is at least one day in length.
(2) The training shall be completed no later than six months after the date that the person is appointed as a member of the board, except that a person who is appointed as a member of a hospital board of trustees on or after the date of enactment of this act but prior to the effective date thereof shall complete the training no later than six months after the effective date.
(3) A person who was appointed as a member of a hospital board of trustees prior to the date of enactment of P.L.2007, c.74 shall complete the training no later than six months after the effective date of P.L.2008, c.57.
b. The commissioner shall, in consultation with the New Jersey Hospital Association, the Hospital Alliance of New Jersey, and the New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals:
(1) prescribe the subject matter of the training, which shall include, but need not be limited to, a review of the types of financial, organizational, legal, regulatory, and ethical issues that a hospital trustee may be required to consider in the course of discharging the trustee's governance responsibilities;
(2) arrange for, or specify, the entity or entities to provide the training;
(3) specify the timeframe within which the training is to be completed;
(4) certify completion of the training for each trustee upon receipt of documentation thereof, as provided on a form and in a manner prescribed by the commissioner, or otherwise arrange for certification by the training entity; and
(5) take such other actions as the commissioner determines appropriate to effectuate the purposes of this act.
L.2007, c.74, s.1; amended 2008, c.57; 2012, c.17, s.198.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.35 - Findings, declarations relative to prevention of health care facility-acquired infections.

26:2H-12.35 Findings, declarations relative to prevention of health care facility-acquired infections.
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Two million patients in this country become infected after entering hospitals each year and about 90,000 of those patients die as a result of those infections;
b. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a common staph infection which is resistant to powerful antibiotics and which is increasingly prevalent in health care settings;
c. MRSA can survive on cloth and plastic for up to 90 days, and is frequently transmitted by contaminated hands, clothes and non-invasive instruments, so that the number of patients who can become infected from even one carrier multiplies dramatically;
d. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in 20 patients entering a hospital carries MRSA, and reported that MRSA accounted for 60% of infections in American hospitals in 2004, up from 2% in 1974;
e. The annual nationwide cost to treat hospitalized patients infected with MRSA is estimated to be more than $4 billion;
f. These infections are preventable, and recent data support a multi-faceted approach to successfully combat them, including routine screening, isolation of colonized and infected patients, strict compliance with hygiene guidelines, and a change in culture to ensure that infection prevention and control is everyone's job and is a natural component of care at each patient encounter each day;
g. Virtually all published analyses comparing the costs of screening patients upon admission and adopting effective infection control practices with the costs of caring for infected patients have concluded that caring for infected patients is much more expensive;
h. Routine screening and isolation of all patients with MRSA in hospitals in Denmark and Holland have reduced MRSA to 10% of their bacterial infections, and a pilot program undertaken by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Pittsburgh Healthcare System that reduced MRSA infections in its surgical care unit by 70% was so successful that all VA health care facilities have been directed to develop and implement similar approaches to prevent the spread of MRSA in at least one unit, with the goal to apply successful strategies facility-wide; and
i. It is a matter of public health and fiscal policy that patients in New Jersey's health care facilities receive health care that incorporates these best practices in infection control, not only to protect their health and lives, but also to ensure the economic viability of New Jersey's health care institutions.
L.2007,c.120,s.1.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.36 - Hospitals required to implement an infection program, reporting of cases of MRSA.

26:2H-12.36 Hospitals required to implement an infection program, reporting of cases of MRSA.
2. a. Within one month after the effective date of this act, all general hospitals licensed by the Department of Health pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.) shall implement an infection prevention program in their intensive care unit or units, as applicable, and if the hospital has no intensive care unit, then in another high-risk unit such as a surgical unit, or other unit where there is significant risk of facility-acquired infections.
Ultimately, the hospital shall expand the infection prevention program to all areas of the hospital, with the exception of an inpatient psychiatric unit, if applicable. The expansion of the infection prevention program shall be completed as quickly as feasible, taking into account the hospital's patient population, physical plant, and other facility-specific circumstances.
b. In addition to any other best practices and effective strategies, the hospital shall incorporate the following strategies:
(1) identification and isolation of both colonized and infected patients by screening patients upon admission in order to break the chain of transmission;
(2) contact precautions for patients found to be MRSA positive, as "contact precautions" is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
(3) patient cultures for MRSA upon discharge or transfer from the unit where the infection prevention program has been implemented, and flagging of patients who are readmitted to the hospital;
(4) strict adherence to hygiene guidelines;
(5) a written infections prevention and control policy with input from frontline caregivers; and
(6) a worker education requirement regarding modes of transmission of MRSA, use of protective equipment, disinfection policies and procedures, and other preventive measures.
c. A general hospital shall report to the Department of Health, in a manner and according to a schedule prescribed by the Commissioner of Health, the number of cases of hospital-acquired MRSA that occur in its facility.
L.2007, c.120, s.2; amended 2012, c.17, s.199.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.37 - Violations, penalties.

26:2H-12.37 Violations, penalties.
3. A general hospital that is in violation of the provisions of this act shall be subject to such penalties as the Commissioner of Health may determine pursuant to sections 13 and 14 of P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-13 and 26:2H-14).
L.2007, c.120, s.3; amended 2012, c.17, s.200.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.38 - Report to the Governor, Legislature.

26:2H-12.38 Report to the Governor, Legislature.
4. To the extent that funds permit, the commissioner shall report within 18 months after the effective date of this act and annually thereafter to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), the Senate and General Assembly standing reference committees on health, on the effect of this act in reducing MRSA infections in hospitals.
L.2007,c.120,s.4.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.39 - Short title.

26:2H-12.39 Short title.
1. Sections 1 through 7 of this act shall be known and may be cited as the "Health Care Facility-Associated Infection Reporting and Prevention Act."
L.2007, c.196, s.1.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.40 - Findings, declarations relative to reporting of infection rates by hospitals.

26:2H-12.40 Findings, declarations relative to reporting of infection rates by hospitals.
2. The Legislature finds and declares:
a. Health care facility-associated infections constitute a major public health problem in this country, affecting from 5% to 10% of hospitalized patients annually, resulting in an estimated two million infections, and 90,000 deaths, and adding an estimated $4.5 to $5.7 billion in health care costs;
b. Many health care facility-associated infections can be prevented, and a goal of zero health care facility-associated infections is desirable. There are many simple and effective practices in hospitals that can dramatically reduce the incidence of health care facility-associated infections, such as hand washing, using gloves and properly sterilized equipment, and following the same established best practices, every time, for procedures such as the insertion of an intravenous tube to deliver fluids and medication;
c. The uniform reporting of health care facility-associated infections to the State, and the review and analysis of this data by the Department of Health, will provide a measurable means to assist hospitals in improving patient outcomes;
d. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that states establishing public reporting systems for health care facility-associated infections focus on major site categories to report rates of health care facility-associated infections related to procedures and conditions including, but not limited to, urinary tract infections, surgical site infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and central line-related bloodstream infections. A focus on major site categories helps ensure that data collection is concentrated in populations where health care facility-associated infections are more prevalent, and that the infection rates reported are most useful for targeting prevention practices and making comparisons among hospitals and within hospitals, over time;
e. The Department of Health currently provides comparative hospital performance data in its annual New Jersey Hospital Performance Report, and including information about hospital infection rates will further enhance the value of the report to the public and health care providers; and
f. Therefore, it is a matter of public health and fiscal policy that patients in New Jersey's hospitals receive health care that incorporates best practices in infection control, not only to protect their health and lives, but also to ensure the economic viability of New Jersey's hospitals.
L.2007, c.196, s.2; amended 2012, c.17, s.201.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.41 - Quarterly reports by general hospital to Department of Health.

26:2H-12.41 Quarterly reports by general hospital to Department of Health.
3. A general hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.) shall be required to report quarterly to the Department of Health, in a form and manner prescribed by the Commissioner of Health:
a. process quality indicators of hospital infection control that have been identified by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, as selected by the commissioner in consultation with the Quality Improvement Advisory Committee within the department; and
b. beginning 30 days after the adoption of regulations pursuant to this act, data on infection rates for the major site categories that define health care facility-associated infection locations, multiple infections, and device-related and non-device related infections, identified by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as selected by the commissioner in consultation with the Quality Improvement Advisory Committee within the department.
L.2007, c.196, s.3; amended 2011, c.42, s.1; 2012, c.17, s.202.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.42 - Prompt advice to hospital from commissioner to improve performance.

26:2H-12.42 Prompt advice to hospital from commissioner to improve performance.
4. The commissioner shall promptly advise a hospital in the event the commissioner determines that based on information reported by the facility, a change in facility practices or policy is necessary to improve performance in the prevention of health care facility-associated infection and quality of care provided at the facility.
L.2007, c.196, s.4.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.43 - Information available to public on Internet website.

26:2H-12.43 Information available to public on Internet website.
5. The commissioner shall make available to members of the public, on the official Internet website of the Department of Health, the information reported pursuant to this act, in such a format as the commissioner deems appropriate to enable comparison among hospitals, with respect to the information, and shall include information in the New Jersey Hospital Performance Report annually issued by the commissioner that measures the performance of general hospitals in the State with respect to process quality indicators and health care facility-associated infection among patients.
L.2007, c.196, s.5; amended 2012, c.17, s.203.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.44 - Expansion of reporting requirements.

26:2H-12.44 Expansion of reporting requirements.
6. The commissioner may, by regulation, expand the health care facility-associated infection reporting requirements in this act to other types of health care facilities, as the commissioner determines appropriate.
L.2007, c.196, s.6.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.45 - Rules, regulations.

26:2H-12.45 Rules, regulations.
7. The Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, in consultation with the Quality Improvement Advisory Committee in the department, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act.
The regulations shall: establish standard methods for identifying and reporting health care facility-associated infections; identify the major site categories for which infections shall be reported, taking into account the categories most likely to improve the delivery and outcome of health care in the State; and specify the methodology for presenting the data to the public, including procedures to adjust for differences in case mix and severity of infections among hospitals.
L.2007, c.196, s.7.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.46 - Hospital to inform pregnant patients of option to donate umbilical cord blood, placental tissue.

26:2H-12.46 Hospital to inform pregnant patients of option to donate umbilical cord blood, placental tissue.
1. a. A general hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.) shall, upon admission, advise every patient of the hospital who is known to be pregnant of the option to donate, to a public umbilical cord blood bank affiliated with the National Marrow Donor Program, or NMDP, blood extracted from the umbilical cord or the placental tissue of her newborn child.
b. If the patient elects to donate umbilical cord blood or placental tissue as provided in subsection a. of this section:
(1) The patient shall provide to the hospital the collection kit supplied by the NMDP-affiliated public umbilical cord blood bank to collect the blood or placental tissue and shall arrange for the kit to be transported to the umbilical cord blood bank at no cost to the hospital; and
(2) The donation shall be made without monetary expense to the woman or the hospital for the collection or storage of the blood or placental tissue.
c. If the patient elects to store her newborn child's umbilical cord blood or placental tissue for family use with a private umbilical cord blood bank:
(1) The patient shall provide to the hospital the collection kit supplied by the private umbilical cord blood bank to collect the blood or placental tissue and shall arrange for the kit to be transported to the blood bank at no cost to the hospital; and
(2) The hospital shall collect the blood or placental tissue in accordance with the patient's directions.
d. The provisions of subsections a., b., and c. of this section shall not be construed to:
(1) require a hospital to collect umbilical cord blood or placental tissue if, in the professional judgment of the patient's attending physician, the collection would threaten the health of the mother or newborn child; or
(2) apply to a physician, nurse, or other hospital employee or contractor who, or a hospital that, is directly affiliated with a religious denomination that adheres to the tenet that blood transfer is contrary to the moral principles which the denomination considers to be an essential part of its beliefs and practices. The physician, nurse, other hospital employee or contractor, or hospital, as applicable, shall record, in writing, its refusal to participate in the activity provided in subsections a., b., and c. of this section, and include a copy of the refusal in the patient's medical record.
L.2007, c.247, s.1.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.47 - Information provided to patients.

26:2H-12.47 Information provided to patients.
2. When a hospital advises a patient of the option to donate or store umbilical cord blood or placental tissue as provided in section 1 of this act, it shall provide the patient with the following information:
a. a description of the health benefits to the community from donating umbilical cord blood or placental tissue to an NMDP-affiliated public umbilical cord blood bank;
b. a description of the potential benefits to the patient and her family from storing umbilical cord blood or placental tissue with a private umbilical cord blood bank;
c. notice to the patient of her option to decline to donate umbilical cord blood or placental tissue to an NMDP-affiliated public umbilical cord blood bank or to store it with a private umbilical cord blood bank; and
d. notice to the patient that a private umbilical cord blood bank may assess fees for the donation and storage of umbilical cord blood or placental tissue, and that she may donate umbilical cord blood or placental tissue to an NMDP-affiliated public umbilical cord blood bank at no charge to herself or her family.
L.2007, c.247, s.2.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.48 - Provision of copy of brochure to pregnant patients.

26:2H-12.48 Provision of copy of brochure to pregnant patients.
3. A health care professional shall provide to each patient to whom that individual is providing prenatal care, as early as practicable in the health care professional's therapeutic relationship with the patient, preferably in the first trimester, a copy of the brochure prepared by the Division of Family Health Services in the Department of Health that may be downloaded from the website of the department, which is designed to answer common questions about umbilical cord and placental blood donation and storage, including the NMDP-affiliated public umbilical cord blood bank and private umbilical cord blood bank options and the differences between and benefits of these options. The health care professional shall offer to discuss the information contained in the brochure with the patient.
L.2007, c.247, s.3; amended 2012, c.17, s.204.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.49 - Construction of act.

26:2H-12.49 Construction of act.
4. Nothing in this act shall be construed to preclude any NMDP-affiliated public umbilical cord blood bank or private umbilical cord blood bank from disseminating information to patients, health care professionals, and hospitals regarding the services provided by the blood bank.
L.2007, c.247, s.4.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.50 - General hospital to conduct public meetings.

26:2H-12.50 General hospital to conduct public meetings.
1. A general hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.) shall, at least annually, conduct a public meeting to discuss issues relating to the operation of the hospital and concerns of the community with respect to the delivery of services at the hospital.
The hospital shall ensure that:
a. at a minimum, the chief executive officer of the hospital, the chairman of the hospital board of trustees, and at least 25% of the members of the hospital board of trustees are present at the meeting and available to respond to questions from members of the public;
b. the meeting is open to members of the public and organized so as to provide the community served by the hospital with information about the operation of the hospital, and to provide an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions and raise issues of concern to them; and
c. public notice of the meeting is provided:
(1) at least 14 days prior to the date of the meeting by posting written notice in the hospital in a conspicuous location that is available to the public, and by publishing the notice in a daily or weekly newspaper of general circulation in the service area of the hospital; and
(2) at least 30 days prior to the date of the meeting by posting notice on the hospital's Internet website.
d. notice of the meeting is provided to the Department of Health and Senior Services at least 30 days prior to the date of the meeting.
L.2008, c.59, s.1.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.51 - Notice of meeting on department's website.

26:2H-12.51 Notice of meeting on department's website.
2. The Department of Health shall post the notice of a hospital's annual public meeting on the department's website.
L.2008, c.59, s.2; amended 2012, c.17, s.205.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.52 - Limitation on charges for certain uninsured patients.

26:2H-12.52 Limitation on charges for certain uninsured patients.
1. A hospital licensed by the Department of Health pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.) shall charge a patient who is an uninsured resident of this State, and whose family gross income is less than 500% of the federal poverty level, an amount no greater than 115% of the applicable payment rate under the federal Medicare program, established pursuant to Pub.L.89-97 (42 U.S.C.s.1395 et seq.), for the health care services rendered to the patient. The amount shall be in accordance with the sliding scale based on income developed by the department pursuant to this act.
L.2008, c.60, s.1; amended 2012, c.17, s.206.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.53 - Sliding scale for certain hospital charges.

26:2H-12.53 Sliding scale for certain hospital charges.
2. The Department of Health shall establish a sliding scale based on income which stipulates the percentage of a hospital charge that an uninsured resident of this State whose family gross income is less than 500% of the federal poverty level is required to pay for health care services rendered at a hospital.
L.2008, c.60, s.2; amended 2012, c.17, s.207.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.54 - Findings, declarations relative to pressure ulcers in nursing home residents.

26:2H-12.54 Findings, declarations relative to pressure ulcers in nursing home residents.
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Pressure ulcers, or bedsores, are a serious public health concern, and elderly persons, who comprise the majority of residents in nursing homes in this State, are most at risk of experiencing pressure ulcers;
b. There are four stages of pressure ulcers, ranging from Stage 1 (skin still intact), to Stage 4 (loss of tissue and exposed muscle, tendon, and bone);
c. Persons with pressure ulcers can experience severe pain, as well as complications from infection;
d. According to 2007 survey data reported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, nursing home residents in New Jersey had pressure ulcer rates that were higher than the national overall average. New Jersey ranked fourth highest among all states and the District of Columbia in the percentage of nursing home residents with pressure ulcers and fifth highest in the percentage of nursing home residents with pressure ulcers at the time of admission to the facility; and
e. The use of pressure redistribution mattresses is widely recognized as one of the more effective ways to prevent and treat pressure ulcers.
L.2009, c.44, s.1.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.55 - Replacement of mattresses with pressure redistribution mattresses.

26:2H-12.55 Replacement of mattresses with pressure redistribution mattresses.
2. a. Beginning one year after the effective date of this act, when a nursing home replaces a mattress for use by a nursing home resident, the nursing home shall replace the mattress with a pressure redistribution mattress that is designed to address, at a minimum, Stage 1 pressure ulcers.
b. No later than three years after the effective date of this act, a nursing home shall replace all mattresses used by its nursing home residents with pressure redistribution mattresses that are designed to address, at a minimum, Stage 1 pressure ulcers.
L.2009, c.44, s.2.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.56 - Definitions relative to certain health care facilities.

26:2H-12.56 Definitions relative to certain health care facilities.
1. a. For the purposes of this act:
"Assisted living facility" means an assisted living residence or comprehensive personal care home licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.);
"Medicaid" means the program established pursuant to P.L.1968, c.413 (C.30:4D-1 et seq.); and
"Medicaid-eligible" means that a person is determined to meet the financial and clinical eligibility standards and has been approved by the Department of Health and Senior Services for participation in a federally approved 1915(c) Medicaid waiver program that provides assisted living services.
b. An assisted living facility licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.) shall provide to a prospective private pay resident, the financially responsible party for the prospective resident, or the prospective resident's legal guardian, as appropriate, a written informational sheet, prepared and updated by the Department of Health and Senior Services and the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services in the Department of Human Services pursuant to section 2 of this act, that explains eligibility for participation in a federally approved 1915(c) Medicaid waiver program that provides assisted living services.
c. The written informational sheet provided to the prospective private pay resident, financially responsible party, or legal guardian, pursuant to subsection b. of this section, shall be accompanied by a written statement, signed by an authorized representative of the assisted living facility stating that:
(1) The assisted living facility is unable to guarantee the availability of a bed for use by a Medicaid-eligible resident, pursuant to P.L.2001, c.234 (C.26:2H-12.16 et seq.) at the assisted living facility at the time that the resident becomes Medicaid-eligible; and
(2) If there is no bed for use by a Medicaid-eligible resident, pursuant to P.L.2001, c.234 (C.26:2H-12.16 et seq.) available at the time the resident becomes Medicaid-eligible, the assisted living facility has the option to transfer the resident to a nursing home or another assisted living facility, as appropriate.
d. If a private pay resident of an assisted living facility, or the resident's financially responsible party, or legal guardian, as appropriate, provides written notice to the assisted living facility that the resident is likely to become Medicaid-eligible within the next six months, the assisted living facility, upon receipt of such notice, shall inform the resident, financially responsible party, or legal guardian, as appropriate, in writing, of the position at the time of the notice of the resident's placement on any list of residents awaiting a bed for use by a Medicaid-eligible resident, pursuant to P.L.2001, c.234 (C.26:2H-12.16 et seq.).
L.2009, c.61, s.1.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.57 - Written informational sheet for assisted living facilities.

26:2H-12.57 Written informational sheet for assisted living facilities.
2. The Department of Health, in consultation with the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services in the Department of Human Services, shall prepare a written informational sheet for assisted living facilities that explains eligibility for participation in a federally approved 1915(c) Medicaid waiver program that provides assisted living services. The informational sheets shall be available on the website of the Department of Health and shall be updated by the Department of Health as necessary to reflect a change in eligibility for the programs.
L.2009, c.61, s.2; amended 2012, c.17, s.208.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.58 - Distribution of informational sheets.

26:2H-12.58 Distribution of informational sheets.
3. The Department of Health shall distribute the applicable informational sheets, prepared and updated pursuant to section 2 of this act, to all licensed assisted living facilities in the State.
L.2009, c.61, s.3; amended 2012, c.17, s.209.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.59 - Online brochure relative to bone marrow donation.

26:2H-12.59 Online brochure relative to bone marrow donation.
1. a. The Commissioner of Health shall prepare an online brochure for display on the Internet website of the Department of Health, based upon information derived from the National Marrow Donor Program, or NMDP, which may be downloaded by physicians and utilized by the commissioner for the purposes of subsection c. of this section, and shall be designed to inform patients of the option to become a bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell, or PBSC, donor by registering with the NMDP and to answer common questions about bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell, or PBSC, donation.
b. The brochure shall describe:
(1) the health benefits to the community from making a bone marrow or PBSC donation through the NMDP;
(2) how to register with the NMDP;
(3) the procedures for making a bone marrow or PBSC donation through the NMDP, including notice that there is no charge to the donor or the donor's family for making the donation;
(4) the circumstances and procedures by which a patient may receive a transfusion of the patient's previously donated blood; and
(5) any other aspects of bone marrow or PBSC donation that the commissioner deems appropriate for the purposes of this act.
c. The commissioner, within the limits of resources available to the Department of Health for this purpose, shall seek to promote awareness among physicians and the general public in this State about the option to become a bone marrow or PBSC donor. In doing so, the commissioner shall consult with at least the following: the Medical Society of New Jersey, the Institute of Medicine and Public Health of New Jersey, the NMDP, and other organizations that are seeking to increase bone marrow and PBSC donation among various ethnic groups within the State in need of these donations.
L.2010, c.61, s.1; amended 2012, c.17, s.210.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.60 - Submission of bill to Medicare beneficiary by health care facility; reporting of nonpayment.

26:2H-12.60 Submission of bill to Medicare beneficiary by health care facility; reporting of nonpayment.
1. a. A health care facility licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.), which provides a health care service to a Medicare beneficiary, shall bill the beneficiary, within 90 days from the date the payment from Medicare or other third party payer is finalized for any amounts due and owing for the service that are not reimbursed by the Medicare program or other third party payer.
b. In the event the health care facility does not submit a bill to the beneficiary within 90 days from the date the payment from Medicare or other third party payer is finalized, the health care facility shall not be permitted to report any nonpayment of the bill by the beneficiary to a consumer reporting agency.
c. A health care facility that violates the provisions of this section shall be subject to such penalties as the Commissioner of Health and Senior Services may determine pursuant to sections 13 and 14 of P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-13 and 26:2H-14).
d. As used in this section:
"Consumer reporting agency" means any person which, for monetary fees, dues, or on a cooperative nonprofit basis, regularly engages, in whole or in part, in the practice of assembling or evaluating consumer credit information or other information on consumers for the purpose of furnishing consumer reports to third parties, and which uses any means or facility for the purpose of preparing or furnishing consumer reports.
L.2010, c.95, s.1.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.61 - Discharge of patients from certain residences; provision for care in alternate facility.

26:2H-12.61 Discharge of patients from certain residences; provision for care in alternate facility.
1. a. If a facility licensed to operate as an assisted living residence or comprehensive personal care home pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) opts to surrender its license and has promised a resident of the facility or the resident's responsible party, in writing through a resident agreement or other instrument, or through a condition of licensure or certificate of need with the Department of Health, that it will not discharge a resident who becomes Medicaid-eligible, as that term is defined in section 1 of P.L.2001, c.234 (C.26:2H-12.16), the facility shall escrow sufficient funds, as determined by the Commissioner of Health, to cover the cost of providing a resident with care in an alternate State-licensed assisted living residence or comprehensive personal care home for as long as the resident shall require care.
b. The facility shall cover any costs necessary to utilize actuarial services as the Department of Health may require to determine the amount to be escrowed pursuant to subsection a. of this section.
c. In the event of a facility bankruptcy, any monies left over after all creditors have been paid shall be used, to the maximum extent practicable, to cover the cost of care provided to a resident in an alternate State-licensed assisted living residence or comprehensive personal care home pursuant to subsection a. of this section.
L.2011, c.16, s.1; amended 2012, c.17, s.211.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.62 - Definitions relative to qualifications for employment as surgical technologist.

26:2H-12.62 Definitions relative to qualifications for employment as surgical technologist.
1. For purposes of this act:
"Health care facility" means a hospital or other health care facility licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.).
"Surgical technologist" means a person who is authorized to practice surgical technology pursuant to the provisions of this act.
"Surgical technology" means surgical patient care that includes, but is not limited to, the following tasks or functions:
(1) preparing the operating room for surgical procedures by ensuring that surgical equipment is functioning properly and safely;
(2) preparing the operating room and the sterile field for surgical procedures by preparing sterile supplies, instruments, and equipment using sterile technique;
(3) anticipating the needs of the surgical team based on knowledge of human anatomy and pathophysiology and how they relate to the surgical patient and the patient's surgical procedure; and
(4) as directed, performing tasks at the sterile field including:
(a) passing supplies, equipment or instruments;
(b) sponging or suctioning an operative site;
(c) preparing and cutting suture material;
(d) transferring and irrigating with fluids;
(e) transferring and administering drugs within the sterile field, according to applicable law;
(f) handling specimens;
(g) holding retractors and other instruments;
(h) applying electrocautery to clamps on bleeders;
(i) connecting drains to suction apparatus;
(j) applying dressings to closed wounds; and
(k) performing sponge, needle, supply and instrument counts with the registered nurse circulator.
L.2011, c.148, s.1.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.63 - Requirements for practicing surgical technology.

26:2H-12.63 Requirements for practicing surgical technology.
2. No person shall practice surgical technology in a health care facility unless that person:
a. has successfully completed a nationally or regionally accredited educational program for surgical technologists; or
b. holds and maintains a certified surgical technologist credential administered by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting or its successor, or other nationally recognized credentialing organization; or
c. has completed an appropriate training program for surgical technology in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard of the United States or in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps; or
d. provides evidence that the person was employed to practice surgical technology in a health care facility on the effective date of P.L.2011, c.148 (C.26:2H-12.62 et seq.) or that the person was employed to practice surgical technology in a surgical practice, as defined in subsection g. of section 12 of P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-12), on the effective date of section 1 of P.L.2017, c.283; or
e. is in the service of the federal government, to the extent that individual is performing surgical technology duties related to that service.
L.2011, c.148, s.2; amended 2019, c.226, s.1.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.64 - Requirements for employment.

26:2H-12.64 Requirements for employment.
3. A health care facility shall not employ or otherwise contract for the services of a surgical technologist unless the person employed or contracted meets the requirements of section 2 of this act.
L.2011, c.148, s.3.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.65 - Continuing education requirement.

26:2H-12.65 Continuing education requirement.
4. A person who qualifies to practice surgical technology in a health care facility under section 2 of this act shall annually complete 15 hours of continuing education to remain qualified to practice as a surgical technologist in this State.
L.2011, c.148, s.4.
2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes › Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics › Section 26:2H-12.66 - Verification of eligibility to practice.

26:2H-12.66 Verification of eligibility to practice.
5. A health care facility that employs or contracts with a person to practice surgical technology shall verify that the person meets: a. the continuing education requirements of section 4 of this act; and b. the requirements of section 2 of this act.
L.2011, c.148, s.5.