Bill Text: NJ S2961 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Clarifies that Alzheimer's disease and related disorders may be listed as secondary cause of death on death certificate when appropriate.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 20-6)
Status: (Passed) 2016-01-11 - Approved P.L.2015, c.187. [S2961 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-S2961-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator RICHARD J. CODEY
District 27 (Essex and Morris)
Senator JOSEPH F. VITALE
District 19 (Middlesex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Connors, Rice, Bateman and Sweeney
SYNOPSIS
Clarifies that Alzheimer's disease and related disorders may be listed as secondary cause of death on death certificate when appropriate.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning death certificates and supplementing Chapter 6 of Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Alzheimer's disease and related disorders may be listed as a secondary cause of death on a certification of death in any case in which:
(1) the deceased person is diagnosed as having Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder; and
(2) it is determined, in accordance with currently accepted medical standards and with a reasonable degree of medical certainty, that Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder was a significant contributing cause of the person's death.
b. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require any person to list Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder as a secondary cause of death, and no person be subject to any criminal or civil liability or any professional disciplinary action under Title 45 of the Revised Statutes for listing or failing to list Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder as a secondary cause of death on a certification of death.
c. As used in this section, "Alzheimer's disease and related disorders" means forms of dementia characterized by a general loss of intellectual abilities of sufficient severity to interfere with social or occupational functioning.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill clarifies that Alzheimer's disease and related disorders may be listed as a secondary cause of death on a certification of death, provided that: (1) the deceased person is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder, and (2) it is determined, in accordance with currently accepted medical standards and with a reasonable degree of medical certainty, that Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder was a significant contributing cause of the person's death.
Nothing in the bill would require Alzheimer's disease and related disorders to be listed as a secondary cause of death on a death certificate, and the bill provides that no person may be subject to criminal or civil liability or professional disciplinary action under Title 45 of the Revised Statutes for listing or failing to list Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder as a secondary cause of death on a certification of death.
Alzheimer's disease and related disorders describe forms of dementia characterized by a general loss of intellectual abilities of sufficient severity to interfere with social or occupational functioning. Although data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that 83,494 people died from Alzheimer's disease and related disorders in 2010, studies suggest that the true number of deaths attributable to these conditions may be greater than 500,000. This discrepancy is due in part to the way deaths are recorded on death certificates. Often, the primary cause of death will be identified as an acute condition such as pneumonia or heart failure. However, Alzheimer's disease and related disorders cause a decline in brain function that may lead to problems with feeding and swallowing, which can put the person at risk for poor nutrition, dehydration, and infection, and may significantly increase the risk of developing, and exacerbate the effects of, the acute condition that is ultimately listed as the primary cause of death on the person's death certificate.
