New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 8 - HEALTH › Chapter 33H - CERTIFICATE OF NEED: POLICY MANUAL FOR LONG TERM CARE SERVICES › Subchapter 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS › Section 8:33H-1.19 - Prioritization criteria and recommended features for the approval of nursing home projects

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
(a) In the case where
				two or more applications propose to meet a limited nursing home bed need in a
				particular county, these applications shall be reviewed in competition with each
				other using the prioritization criteria contained herein.
(b) Preference shall be given to the Certificate
				of Need approval of those projects that receive the greatest number of points using
				the criteria enumerated below. Each criterion shall count for one point, except that
				the criteria at (b)1 and 2 below shall count for two points each. In this manner,
				the maximum possible score shall be 15. Criteria are as follows:
1. The applicant documents a commitment to occupy
				55 percent or more of the facility's total long-term care bed complement with
				Medicaid-eligible residents within one year of licensure. This proportion shall
				include at least 45 percent occupancy of the total bed complement by
				direct-admission Medicaid-eligible residents and at least 10 percent occupancy by
				residents who convert from private pay status to Medicaid eligibility during their
				stay in the facility. Applicants may propose to accept higher percentages of
				Medicaid residents than those stated herein, however, no greater priority shall be
				given to applicants for such a commitment;
2. The applicant demonstrates a commitment to
				admit and maintain Medicaid-eligible "heavy care" or acuity residents in at least 20
				percent of the proposed new beds (that is, residents who do not require specialized
				care, as it is defined in
				8:33H-1.2, but who routinely require
				more than the 2.5 hours per day minimum amount of nursing care required in N.J.A.C.
				8:39). In order to meet this criterion, the applicant is required to provide
				documentation from area hospital discharge planners or other appropriate resources
				to show that there is a need of the magnitude that would warrant 20 percent of the
				proposed beds being dedicated for heavy care;
3. Above and beyond meeting the requirements in
				N.J.A.C. 8:33-1.14, the applicant has a track record for consistently high quality
				patient care in nursing facilities owned or operated by the applicant, as
				demonstrated by a satisfactory record of compliance with licensure standards during
				the three year period prior to application submission and submission of an affidavit
				to that effect;
4. The applicant
				successfully operates at least one facility that is licensed for both residential
				health care and long-term care beds, and the facility has maintained an annual
				occupancy rate of at least 85 percent in its licensed residential health care beds
				during the most recent calendar year;
5.
				The facility will include a separate and distinct unit for young adult residents.
				The size of this unit should be proportionate to the county's need and the existence
				of other long-term care resources that are available for young adults in the
				area.
6. Within one year of licensure,
				the facility will be staffed with one or more full-time equivalent physician, or
				clinical nurse specialists who have received a master's degree in geriatric nursing
				or a related clinical field from a program accredited by the National League for
				Nursing;
7. The facility will provide
				tuition reimbursement and/or a career ladder program for facility personnel. The
				program and employee participation criteria shall be described in detail in the
				application. The facility will provide documentation to the Department on an annual
				basis to show that one or more employees have received college or training school
				tuition reimbursement each year as part of this program;
8. The project will result in the elimination of
				life safety code waivers at an existing facility;
9. The project entails the conversion of excess
				acute care hospital bed capacity to long-term care, in accordance with the
				requirements in 8:33H-1.13(g);
10. The applicant has a track record of
				implementing long-term care projects in New Jersey in an especially timely manner
				(that is, long-term care construction projects owned, operated, or managed by the
				applicant have been licensed within four years of Certificate of Need
				issuance);
11. The applicant has no more
				than one other Certificate of Need approved but not yet licensed long-term care
				facility in New Jersey at the time that the current application is accepted for
				processing;
12. Above and beyond meeting
				the requirements in
				8:33H-1.14, the applicant has a track
				record for high quality resident care in nursing facilities owned or operated by the
				applicant in New Jersey, as demonstrated by compliance with five or more advisory
				standards contained in N.J.A.C. 8:39 at the time of the most recent annual licensing
				survey. Advisory standards which will be taken into consideration are: access to
				care, resident assessment and care plans, pharmacy, infection control and
				sanitation, resident activities, dietary services, medical services, nurse staffing,
				physical environment, and quality assurance. Substantial compliance refers to
				compliance with at least 65 percent of the components of each of the five advisory
				standards; and
13. The facility will
				promote not only a high quality of nursing and medical care but also a high quality
				of life for residents. Factors deemed to promote a high quality of life include, but
				are not limited to, the following:
i. Physical
				space inside the facility in excess of minimum construction requirements, designed
				for residents to meet privately with family and significant others;
ii. Year-round, easy access to protected,
				landscaped outdoor areas that are furnished with outdoor seating and tables;
				and
iii. Strategies to address the needs
				of residents with Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias, including, but not
				limited to, wandering tracks, behavior management programs, family support groups,
				and ongoing special activities.