Bill Text: NJ A5236 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires DCF to strengthen Statewide pediatric psychiatry and behavioral health care services for children and families.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-06-08 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Children, Families and Food Security Committee [A5236 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A5236-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman ANDREA KATZ
District 8 (Atlantic and Burlington)
Assemblywoman LINDA S. CARTER
District 22 (Somerset and Union)
Assemblyman JAMES J. KENNEDY
District 22 (Somerset and Union)
SYNOPSIS
Requires DCF to strengthen Statewide pediatric psychiatry and behavioral health care services for children and families.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning children's behavioral health and access to pediatric psychiatry services and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Department of Children and Families shall be responsible for overseeing and implementing policies and procedures to strengthen Statewide pediatric psychiatry and behavioral health care services for children and their families. In implementing the policies and procedures prescribed in this section, the department shall:
a. expand the services provided by the New Jersey Pediatric Psychiatry Collaborative (NJPPC) to better support pediatricians who are members of the NJPPC in delivering ongoing longitudinal behavioral health care within primary care settings and building pediatric and family medicine practice autonomy to provide quality behavioral health care for children and their families. The expansion of services to pediatric primary care physicians who are members of the NJPPC shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) increased access to telepsychiatry services to facilitate:
(a) virtual psychiatric consultations;
(b) the acquisition of telehealth equipment for NJPPC member offices;
(c) guidance from, and consultation with, NJPPC child and adolescent psychiatrists in providing real-time psychiatric care to address a patient's psychiatric or behavioral health care needs;
(d) patient and family-centered approach for improved patient engagement, care coordination, and clinical outcomes; and
(e) patient choice by improving the availability of psychiatric services in the offices of pediatric primary care physicians or a patient's home; and
(2) the development of structured consultation, follow-up support, clinical guidance, and intake and referral services provided by NJPPC child and adolescent psychiatrist and behavioral health staff that enable pediatric primary care physicians who are members of the NJPPC to initiate, adjust, and manage the treatment of patients;
b. in consultation with the Department of Banking and Insurance, the Department of Health, and the Department of Human Services,
analyze and recommend adjustments to payment structures and reimbursement rates for pediatric primary care physicians providing pediatric psychiatry and behavioral care health services, including, but not limited to, increased rates for prolonged office visits, the provision of care coordination, and consultation and training activities;
c. increase transparency and accountability within PerformCare or other future contracted system administrators by:
(1) including target performance measures relating to the provision of services in all contract agreements entered into with PerformCare or other future contracted system administrators, including, but not limited to, response times, wait times, referral outcomes, service utilization, and family experience upon which PerformCare, or other future contract system administrators shall be assessed;
(2) making available to the public, upon request, the results and the analysis of all target performance measures included in all future contracts pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection;
(3) conducting periodic, independent evaluations of the existing contract agreement entered into with PerformCare relating to its performance under the terms of the contract; and
(4) establishing a regularly scheduled bidding process promoting competition, accountability, transparency, and quality of services for agencies and organizations interested in contracting with the division to become a contracted system administrator;
d. establish a public awareness campaign to inform and educate the public, in a clear, comprehensive, and family-friendly manner, about the services provided by the Division of Children's System of Care in the Department of Children and Families and how to access such services through PerformCare. The public awareness campaign shall:
(1) prepare and make available in print, in multiple languages, including, but not limited to, English and Spanish, and in a manner that is easily understandable by individuals eligible to receive services through the division, materials containing the information included in the campaign established in this subsection;
(2) include an explanation of the full range of moderate and high- acuity behavioral health care services available through the division, and lower acuity and outpatient services offered through outpatient providers affiliated with PerformCare; and
(3) distribute the materials printed pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection to schools, the offices of pediatric primary care physicians, pediatric behavioral health care programs, health care facilities, hospital emergency departments, and community-based organizations specializing in pediatric and adolescent behavioral health care services; and
e. in consultation with the Department of Health and the Department of Human Services:
(1) require health care facilities, pediatric primary care physicians, hospital emergency departments, and pediatric behavioral health care programs to report standardized data on the:
(a) number of inpatient hospital, pediatric primary care office, or hospital emergency room visits, or referrals from pediatric behavioral health care programs to a hospital, office, or emergency room for children seeking pediatric psychiatry or behavioral health care services, and the number of children who are admitted to an inpatient hospital as a result of such visits or referrals;
(b) length of stay at an inpatient hospital for children seeking pediatric psychiatry or behavioral health care services;
(c) length of stay at an inpatient hospital for children seeking pediatric psychiatry or behavioral health care services who are clinically ready for discharge;
(d) number of children seeking pediatric psychiatry or behavioral health care services whose placement outside the home for continued treatment after being discharged from an inpatient hospital has been delayed because no appropriate alternative placement can be found; and
(e) number of children seeking pediatric psychiatry or behavioral health care services who are transferred to out-of-state behavioral health care facilities for continued treatment after being discharged from an inpatient hospital; and
(2) collect, compile, and analyze the standardized data reported by health care facilities, pediatric primary care physicians, hospital emergency departments, and pediatric behavioral health care programs pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection to guide service delivery planning, identify service gaps, prioritize capacity development, and support policy and funding decisions to expand access to pediatric psychiatry and behavioral health care services including, but not limited to, out of home placements.
f. As defined in this section:
"Contracted system administrator" means an entity contracted by the Department Children and Families to provide utilization and care coordination management to children and their families receiving behavioral health care and other support services through the Division of Children's System of Care.
"High acuity services" means behavioral health care services provided to a patient to address severe and complex psychological disorders that require intense and immediate interventions. High acuity services include, but are not limited to, acute inpatient hospitalization, medication management, and therapeutic interventions.
"Low acuity services" means behavioral health care and support services provided to a patient who has mild behavioral health care needs to help the patient manage their symptoms and improve their functioning without the need of intense interventions. Low acuity services include, but are not limited to, therapy, counseling, and other behavioral health care supports.
"Moderate acuity services" means behavioral health care services provided to a patient who has moderate behavioral health care needs to support and treat the patient in a manner less restrictive than acute inpatient hospitalization. Moderate acuity services, include, but are not limited to, crisis intervention, medication support, and therapy.
"New Jersey Pediatric Psychiatry Collaborative" or "NJPPC" means the Statewide initiative funded by the Department of Children and Families to improve access to psychiatric or behavioral health care treatment for children who are under the care of a pediatric primary care physician and their families.
"PerformCare" means the system administrator contracted by the Department of Children and Families to provide a family-centered, community-focused single point of entry for eligible children and their families to the Division of Children's System of Care in order to access State-funded behavioral health care, substance use treatment, or developmental disability services.
2. a. No later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this act, the Department of Children and Families shall submit to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature a report on the materials prepared pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection d. and the standardized data collected pursuant to subparagraph (a) of paragraph (1) of subsection e. of section 1 of this act.
b. The department shall make the report submitted to the Governor and the Legislature pursuant to subsection a. of this section available to the public on the Department of Children and Families' Internet website.
3. Pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), the Department of Children and Families shall adopt any rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.
4. This act shall take effect on the first day of the six month next following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires that the Department of Children and Families (DCF) be responsible for overseeing and implementing policies and procedures to strengthen Statewide pediatric psychiatry and behavioral health care services for children and their families.
Specifically, in implementing the policies and procedures prescribed in the bill, the DCF is to: (1) expand the services provided by the New Jersey Pediatric Psychiatry Collaborative (NJPPC) to better support pediatricians who are members of the NJPPC; (2) analyze and recommend, in consultation with the Departments of Banking and Insurance, Health, and Human Services, adjustments to payment structures and reimbursement rates for pediatric primary care physicians providing pediatric psychiatry and behavioral care health services; (3) increase transparency and accountability within PerformCare or other future contracted system administrators; (4) establish a public awareness campaign to inform and educate the public about the services provided by the Division of Children's System of Care and how to access such services through PerformCare; and (5) require health care facilities, pediatric primary care physicians, and hospital emergency departments, and pediatric behavioral health care programs to report to the department, standardized data on hospitalization visits and admissions, discharge, and placement information concerning children seeking pediatric psychiatry or behavioral health care services.
The DCF is to submit to the Governor and the Legislature a report on the materials prepared for the public awareness campaign and the standardized data collected pursuant to the provisions of the bill and to make the materials and the data available to the public on the DCF's Internet website.
