Title 26, Title 26: HEALTH AND VITAL STATISTICS

26:2H-12.36 Hospitals required to implement an infection program, reporting of cases of MRSA. 2. a. Within one month after the effective date of this act, all general hospitals licensed by the Department of Health pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.) shall implement an …

26:2H-12.37 Violations, penalties. 3. A general hospital that is in violation of the provisions of this act shall be subject to such penalties as the Commissioner of Health may determine pursuant to sections 13 and 14 of P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-13 and 26:2H-14). L.2007, c.120, s…

26:2H-12.38 Report to the Governor, Legislature. 4. To the extent that funds permit, the commissioner shall report within 18 months after the effective date of this act and annually thereafter to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), the Senat…

26:2H-12.39 Short title. 1. Sections 1 through 7 of this act shall be known and may be cited as the "Health Care Facility-Associated Infection Reporting and Prevention Act." L.2007, c.196, s.1.

26:2H-12.4 Application procedure for hospital respite care program. 2. A hospital applying for permission to establish a hospital respite care program is not required to apply for a certificate of need pursuant to section 7 of P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-7) and is required to demons…

26:2H-12.40 Findings, declarations relative to reporting of infection rates by hospitals. 2. The Legislature finds and declares: a. Health care facility-associated infections constitute a major public health problem in this country, affecting from 5% to 10% of hospitalized patien…

26:2H-12.41 Quarterly reports by general hospital to Department of Health. 3. A general hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.) shall be required to report quarterly to the Department of Health, in a form and manner prescribed by the Commissioner of Healt…

26:2H-12.42 Prompt advice to hospital from commissioner to improve performance. 4. The commissioner shall promptly advise a hospital in the event the commissioner determines that based on information reported by the facility, a change in facility practices or policy is necessary …

26:2H-12.43 Information available to public on Internet website. 5. The commissioner shall make available to members of the public, on the official Internet website of the Department of Health, the information reported pursuant to this act, in such a format as the commissioner de…

26:2H-12.44 Expansion of reporting requirements. 6. The commissioner may, by regulation, expand the health care facility-associated infection reporting requirements in this act to other types of health care facilities, as the commissioner determines appropriate. L.2007, c.196, s.…

26:2H-12.45 Rules, regulations. 7. The Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, in consultation with the Quality Improvement Advisory Committee in the department, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt rules and regula…

26:2H-12.46 Hospital to inform pregnant patients of option to donate umbilical cord blood, placental tissue. 1. a. A general hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.) shall, upon admission, advise every patient of the hospital who is known to be pregnant of…

26:2H-12.47 Information provided to patients. 2. When a hospital advises a patient of the option to donate or store umbilical cord blood or placental tissue as provided in section 1 of this act, it shall provide the patient with the following information: a. a description of the …

26:2H-12.48 Provision of copy of brochure to pregnant patients. 3. A health care professional shall provide to each patient to whom that individual is providing prenatal care, as early as practicable in the health care professional's therapeutic relationship with the patient, pre…

26:2H-12.49 Construction of act. 4. Nothing in this act shall be construed to preclude any NMDP-affiliated public umbilical cord blood bank or private umbilical cord blood bank from disseminating information to patients, health care professionals, and hospitals regarding the serv…

26:2H-12.5. Rules, regulations The Commissioner of Health shall, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L. 1968, c. 410 (C. 52:14B-1 et seq.), promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act. L. 1986, c. 11, s. 3.

26:2H-12.50 General hospital to conduct public meetings. 1. A general hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.) shall, at least annually, conduct a public meeting to discuss issues relating to the operation of the hospital and concerns of the community with…

26:2H-12.51 Notice of meeting on department's website. 2. The Department of Health shall post the notice of a hospital's annual public meeting on the department's website. L.2008, c.59, s.2; amended 2012, c.17, s.205.

26:2H-12.52 Limitation on charges for certain uninsured patients. 1. A hospital licensed by the Department of Health pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.) shall charge a patient who is an uninsured resident of this State, and whose family gross income is less than 500% o…

26:2H-12.53 Sliding scale for certain hospital charges. 2. The Department of Health shall establish a sliding scale based on income which stipulates the percentage of a hospital charge that an uninsured resident of this State whose family gross income is less than 500% of the fed…

26:2H-12.54 Findings, declarations relative to pressure ulcers in nursing home residents. 1. The Legislature finds and declares that: a. Pressure ulcers, or bedsores, are a serious public health concern, and elderly persons, who comprise the majority of residents in nursing homes…

26:2H-12.55 Replacement of mattresses with pressure redistribution mattresses. 2. a. Beginning one year after the effective date of this act, when a nursing home replaces a mattress for use by a nursing home resident, the nursing home shall replace the mattress with a pressure re…

26:2H-12.56 Definitions relative to certain health care facilities. 1. a. For the purposes of this act: "Assisted living facility" means an assisted living residence or comprehensive personal care home licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.); "Medicaid" means the…

26:2H-12.57 Written informational sheet for assisted living facilities. 2. The Department of Health, in consultation with the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services in the Department of Human Services, shall prepare a written informational sheet for assisted living fa…

26:2H-12.58 Distribution of informational sheets. 3. The Department of Health shall distribute the applicable informational sheets, prepared and updated pursuant to section 2 of this act, to all licensed assisted living facilities in the State. L.2009, c.61, s.3; amended 2012, c.…

26:2H-12.59 Online brochure relative to bone marrow donation. 1. a. The Commissioner of Health shall prepare an online brochure for display on the Internet website of the Department of Health, based upon information derived from the National Marrow Donor Program, or NMDP, which m…

26:2H-12.6 Care of newborn children. 1. The governing body of a health care facility licensed in this State pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) which provides health care services to newborn children shall adopt policies and procedures which ensure that newborn childr…

26:2H-12.60 Submission of bill to Medicare beneficiary by health care facility; reporting of nonpayment. 1. a. A health care facility licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.), which provides a health care service to a Medicare beneficiary, shall bill the beneficia…

26:2H-12.61 Discharge of patients from certain residences; provision for care in alternate facility. 1. a. If a facility licensed to operate as an assisted living residence or comprehensive personal care home pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) opts to surrender its l…

26:2H-12.62 Definitions relative to qualifications for employment as surgical technologist. 1. For purposes of this act: "Health care facility" means a hospital or other health care facility licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.). "Surgical technologist" means a…

26:2H-12.63 Requirements for practicing surgical technology. 2. No person shall practice surgical technology in a health care facility unless that person: a. has successfully completed a nationally or regionally accredited educational program for surgical technologists; or b. hol…

26:2H-12.64 Requirements for employment. 3. A health care facility shall not employ or otherwise contract for the services of a surgical technologist unless the person employed or contracted meets the requirements of section 2 of this act. L.2011, c.148, s.3.

26:2H-12.65 Continuing education requirement. 4. A person who qualifies to practice surgical technology in a health care facility under section 2 of this act shall annually complete 15 hours of continuing education to remain qualified to practice as a surgical technologist in thi…

26:2H-12.66 Verification of eligibility to practice. 5. A health care facility that employs or contracts with a person to practice surgical technology shall verify that the person meets: a. the continuing education requirements of section 4 of this act; and b. the requirements of…

26:2H-12.67 Person permitted to act within scope of practice of license. 6. Nothing in this act shall prohibit any person licensed under any other law from practicing surgical technology if the person is acting within the scope of practice of his license. L.2011, c.148, s.6.

26:2H-12.68 Definitions relative to disposal of prescription medications by health care facilities. 1. As used in this act: "Public wastewater collection system" means any collection system regulated by the Department of Environmental Protection pursuant to the "Water Pollution C…

26:2H-12.69 Health care facilities prohibited from discharging prescription medication into public wastewater collection or septic system; exceptions. 2. a. Except as otherwise provided by subsections b. and c. of this section, every health care facility shall establish and imple…

26:2H-12.6a Preparation, distribution of resource guide providing information on child abuse, neglect. 1. a. The Department of Children and Families, in consultation with the Department of Health, shall prepare a resource guide in both English and Spanish which provides informati…

26:2H-12.6b Definitions relative to emergency contraception for sexual assault victims. 1. As used in P.L.2005, c.50 (C.26:2H-12.6b et seq.): "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Health. "Division on Women" means the Division on Women in the Department of Children and Familie…

26:2H-12.6c Provision of emergency care to sexual assault victim. 2. An emergency health care facility shall provide emergency care to a sexual assault victim. It shall be the standard of care for an emergency health care facility to: a. provide each sexual assault victim with me…

26:2H-12.6d Policies, procedures concerning personnel training. 3. An emergency health care facility shall have written policies and procedures to ensure that all personnel who provide care or information to a sexual assault victim: a. are trained to provide medically and factual…

26:2H-12.6e Written information relative to emergency contraception for sexual assault victims. 4. a. The commissioner, in collaboration with the Director of the Division on Women, the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program, sha…

26:2H-12.6f Responsibilities of commissioner concerning compliance. 5. a. The commissioner shall: (1) investigate every complaint of noncompliance with the provisions of P.L.2005, c.50 (C.26:2H-12.6b et seq.) by an emergency health care facility, including the failure of a facili…

26:2H-12.6g Rules, regulations. 7. Pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), the commissioner, in consultation with the Director of the Division on Women and the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program, shall adopt rules and regulations t…

26:2H-12.6h Pregnant woman permitted to be accompanied in hospital room during period of labor and delivery. 1. An acute care general hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) shall permit a pregnant woman to have at least one individual to accompany the w…

26:2H-12.6i Hospital, birthing center, policies, procedures, patient choice, doula; definitions. 1. a. As used in this section: "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Health. "Birthing center" means a birthing center licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.). "Do…