Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
Assemblywoman SHAVONDA E. SUMTER
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblyman RAJ MUKHERJI
District 33 (Hudson)
Assemblywoman GABRIELA M. MOSQUERA
District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)
Assemblyman REED GUSCIORA
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman O'Scanlon
SYNOPSIS
Requires Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services to annually prepare, and make available to the public, a substance abuse treatment provider performance report.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning substance abuse treatment facility performance, and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of Human Services shall, at least annually, prepare a Substance Abuse Treatment Provider Performance Report in accordance with the provisions of this section. The division shall post a copy of the report on its website, and shall make a hard copy of the report available to the public, upon request.
b. The performance report shall: (1) compare the overall performance of each substance abuse treatment provider with the Statewide average performance of all such providers, based on nationally recognized outcome measures for each level of care; and (2) rank each substance abuse treatment provider, by level of care, based on their performance.
c. The performance report shall include the following:
(1) A client profile that presents: (a) aggregated background information about clients, which was obtained at the time of their admission to treatment, including the percentage of clients by category of gender, race, age, primary substance used, source of income, and sources of referral to treatment; and (b) aggregated discharge status of clients, including the situations in which clients have been released from treatment, and the percentages of clients experiencing similar discharge situations;
(2) Reference to National Outcome Measures (NOMS) prescribed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which evaluate the status of clients in six critical domains of living at the time of admission compared to the time of discharge, including:
(a) the percentage difference between clients who are abstinent from alcohol at admission compared to discharge;
(b) the percentage difference between clients who are abstinent from other drugs at admission compared to discharge;
(c) the percentage difference between clients who are employed full-time and part-time at admission compared to discharge;
(d) the percentage difference between clients who are enrolled in school or a job training program at admission compared to discharge;
(e) the percentage difference between clients who are arrested in the 30-day period preceding admission compared to the 30-day period following discharge; and
(f) the percentage difference between clients who are homeless at admission compared to discharge;
(3) Reference to consumer-driven performance measures, including the variety of services offered by a substance abuse treatment provider, and whether the provider participates in the Medicaid program, treats co-occurring disorders, uses evidence-based practices, and is tobacco-free; and
(4) Any other information the Assistant Commissioner deems appropriate.
d. As used in this section:
“Assistant Commissioner” means the Assistant Commissioner for the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of Human Services.
“Client” means a person who received treatment for substance abuse from a substance abuse treatment provider during the annual reporting period.
“Substance abuse treatment provider” means any substance abuse treatment provider that is licensed by the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of Human Services.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) in the Department of Human Services to prepare, at least annually, a Substance Abuse Treatment Provider Performance Report. The division would be required to post a copy of the report on its Internet website, and make hard copies of the report available to the public, upon request.
The bill requires the report to: (1) compare the overall performance of each substance abuse treatment provider with the Statewide average performance of all such providers, based on nationally recognized outcome measures (NOMS) for each level of care; and (2) rank each substance abuse treatment provider, by level of care, based on their performance. NOMS attempt to capture meaningful, real life outcomes for people who are striving to attain and sustain recovery and participate fully in their communities in the wake of receiving treatment for an active addiction to drugs or alcohol.
Specifically, the bill would require the report to include:
· A client profile that presents: (a) background information about clients that is obtained at the time of their admission to treatment, including the percentages of clients by categories of gender, race, age, primary substance used, source of income, and sources of referral to treatment; and (b) discharge status of clients, including the situations in which the client leaves treatment, and the percentages of clients experiencing similar discharge situations;
· Reference to NOMS prescribed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which provide information regarding a client’s status at admission and discharge in six critical domains of living, such as: alcohol use at admission compared to discharge; other drug use at admission compared to discharge; employment status (both full-time and part-time) at admission compared to discharge; enrollment in school or a job training program at admission compared to discharge; arrest status in the 30-day period preceding admission compared to the 30-day period following discharge; and homelessness at admission compared to discharge;
· Reference to consumer-driven performance measures, such as the variety of services offered by the provider, or whether the provider participates in the Medicaid program, treats co-occurring disorders, uses evidence-based practices, and is tobacco-free; and
· Any other information the Assistant Commissioner deems appropriate.
The DMHAS currently collects and compiles the information required pursuant to this bill, and makes the performance information available on a Statewide and provider-specific basis to providers in the State, but it does not make the provider-specific performance reports available to members of the public. Objective performance information about substance abuse providers in the State is not otherwise available to consumers who are seeking substance abuse treatment services, which compounds the difficulty of selecting the most appropriate treatment provider. The purpose of this bill, therefore, is to ensure that consumers of substance abuse treatment services have access to a vital tool to help them select the most appropriate treatment provider.