Secure centralized system gives providers streamlined access to consumers’ health care choices

June 27, 2019

(HAMILTON) – The Department of Human Services’ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services today launched a secure online registry that provides health care providers immediate and streamlined access to advanced directives containing consumers’ choices about their mental health care for those consumers who choose to submit this information. 

A Psychiatric Advanced Directive (PAD) is a written legal document that expresses an individual’s preferences about their mental health care during a personal mental health crisis.

“The rollout of this secure registry for psychiatric advanced directives is a huge step forward in providing health care providers access to the plans made by people with mental illnesses,” DMHAS Assistant Commissioner Valerie Mielke today told a large group of mental health providers, advocates and consumers attending a demonstration and informational session at the New Jersey Forensic Science Technology Center.

Federal and state laws ensure that people with mental illnesses, like all health care consumers, have the right to indicate their health care choices in situations where their illness might prevent them from directly expressing their preferences. Consumers have the option to choose whether to participate in the secure online registry, and all information will be treated as confidential protected health information.  The registry, called NJPAD, will be operated by U.S. Advance Care Plan Registry (USACPR) powered by U. S. Living Will Registry (USLWR.)

The electronic registry – which will be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week - complies with N.J.A.C. 10:32, Advance Directives for Mental Health Care which requires access to the registry through the internet.

NJPAD is available for consumers and certain New Jersey mental health care providers.  At this point in time, designated DMHAS psychiatric emergency services, affiliated psychiatric emergency services, and short term care facilities have provider access to the Registry.

The new system replaces a paper-based process in which individuals registered their PADs with DMHAS.  Consumers can now go to the DMHAS webpage to create an account and register a PAD. The DMHAS webpage redirects consumers to the USACPR website which is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the registry.

The registry also will be available to acute care and psychiatric hospital patients. All state psychiatric hospital patients are asked upon admission if they have a PAD, and one can be developed if they do not.

To sign up for the registry, go to:

https://www.nj.gov/humanservices/dmhas/resources/mental/pad/