Bill Text: NJ S1953 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes "Mission Critical Long-Term Care Teams"; provides for identification of and intervention at long-term care facilities at risk of operational and financial distress.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee [S1953 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S1953-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator JOSEPH F. VITALE
District 19 (Middlesex)
Senator BRIAN P. STACK
District 33 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes "Mission Critical Long-Term Care Teams"; provides for identification of and intervention at long-term care facilities at risk of operational and financial distress.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning long-term care facilities and supplementing P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Commissioner of Health shall establish at least one team of individuals, to be known as a "Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team," which shall be responsible for identifying long-term care facilities for which progressive levels of oversight and direct intervention may be necessary to prevent the decline of health and safety at the facility or the disruption of necessary health care services at the facility. Each Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team shall work collaboratively with long-term care facilities to improve the financial and operating results of the facility with a focus on resident health and safety. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit the commissioner from establishing more than one Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team. Each Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team established by the commissioner shall comprise four individuals with relevant expertise in long-term care administration and management, financial management, nursing care, infection prevention, social work, quality improvement, safety, and continuing professional education.
b. The Commissioner of Health shall establish specific indicators by which a long-term care facility may be evaluated for:
(1) operational and financial soundness, and the thresholds at which it may be considered to be in operational or financial distress or at risk of operational or financial distress; and
(2) the facility's capacity to ensure residents are afforded the rights set forth in section 1 of P.L.2011, c.58 (C.26:2H-128), and to deliver the quality of care required by applicable licensing standards for the facility.
c. When a survey or inspection conducted, or complaint received, by the Division of Health Facility Survey and Field Operations in the Department of Health, or by any other individual in the Department of Health, identifies a facility at risk based on any of the indicators established pursuant to subsection b. of this section, the commissioner may dispatch a Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team to evaluate the facility and advise the facility as to any corrective measures it should take to resolve any identified issues. The commissioner may also dispatch a Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team at the request of facility management.
d. Any facility to which a Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team is dispatched shall:
(1) cooperate with the team; and
(2) grant the team and the Department of Health access to all physical plant operations and locations and to all financial, operational, and programmatic information requested thereby.
e. The Commissioner of Health may adopt rules and regulations, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of this section.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill provides for the establishment of Mission Critical Long-Term Care Teams, which will be responsible for identifying long-term care facilities for which progressive levels of oversight and direct intervention may be necessary to prevent the decline of health and safety at the facility or the disruption of necessary health care services at the facility. Each Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team will work collaboratively with long-term care facilities to improve the financial and operating results of the facility with a focus on resident health and safety.
Each Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team established by the Commissioner of Health is to comprise four individuals with relevant expertise in long-term care administration and management, financial management, nursing care, infection prevention, social work, quality improvement, safety, and continuing professional education.
The commissioner will establish specific indicators by which a long-term care facility may be evaluated for: operational and financial soundness, and the thresholds at which it may be considered to be in operational or financial distress or at risk of operational or financial distress; and the facility's capacity to ensure the rights afforded by State law to residents and to deliver the quality of care required by applicable licensing standards for the facility.
When a survey or inspection conducted, or complaint received, by the Division of Health Facility Survey and Field Operations in the Department of Health (DOH), or by any other individual in the DOH, identifies a facility at risk based on any of the indicators established by the commissioner, the commissioner may dispatch a Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team to evaluate the facility and advise the facility as to any corrective measures it should take to resolve any identified issues. The commissioner may also dispatch a Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team at the request of facility management.
The bill requires that any facility to which a Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team is dispatched cooperate with the team, and that the facility grant both the Mission Critical Long-Term Care Team and the DOH access to all physical plant operations and locations and to all financial, operational, and programmatic information requested thereby.
