The Department of Health (Department), with the approval of the Health Care Administration Board, today proposes amendments and new rules at N.J.A.C. 8:43G to establish hospital licensure standards for designated caregivers.
This rulemaking implements P.L. 2014, c. 68, an act that concerns the designation of caregivers, or people who agree to perform necessary post-discharge care for patients when they return to live in their place of residence. A growing segment of New Jersey’s population now provides at-home care for newly discharged patients without the benefit of any preparation or training and without compensation—work which traditionally has been performed by medical professionals. Caregivers are usually family members or close personal friends of hospital patients.
As part of the existing hospital discharge planning process, hospitals develop individualized discharge plans for each patient that addresses: the residence in which patients may reside after discharge; the types of after-care assistance patients need when they leave the hospital; and the available local resources to support caregivers’ efforts to maintain patients in the community.
Under the proposed new rules, general acute care hospitals would be required to offer the following opportunities based on each patient’s individualized discharge plan:
- Designate a caregiver to perform after-care assistance tasks for patients able to return to their place of residence following discharge from the hospital;
- Train and instruct caregivers in the after-care assistance tasks deemed necessary for community living; and
- Support caregivers’ efforts to maintain the patient in the community with information about available local resources.
The proposal appears in the June 19, 2017 issue of the New Jersey Register. A period for public comment exists until August 18, 2017 for those wishing to comment on the proposal.
Persons wishing to submit written comments on the proposal may do so on or before August 18, 2017 either electronically to http://www.nj.gov/health/legal/ecomments.shtml or by regular mail postmarked on or before August 18, 2017 to Joy L. Lindo, Director, Office of Legal and Regulatory Compliance, New Jersey Department of Health, PO Box 360, Trenton, NJ 08625-0360.
LexisNexis provides free online access to the New Jersey Register at http://www.lexisnexis.com/njoal. An unofficial copy of the proposal is also available from the Department’s website at http://www.nj.gov/health/legal/rules/notice-of-rule-proposals/.
Follow the New Jersey Department of Health on Twitter @njdeptofhealth, Facebook /njdeptofhealth, Instagram @njdeptofhealth and Snapchat @njdoh.
For more information, visit our homepage at nj.gov/health.
