ASSEMBLY, No. 918
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblyman JAMEL C. HOLLEY
District 20 (Union)
Assemblyman JOE DANIELSEN
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
Assemblyman WAYNE P. DEANGELO
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblywoman ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT
District 31 (Hudson)
Assemblywoman SHAVONDA E. SUMTER
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Caputo, Assemblywoman Tucker, Assemblyman Giblin, Assemblywomen Schepisi, Jimenez, B.DeCroce, Rodriguez-Gregg, Muoio, Assemblymen Chiaravalloti, Johnson, Assemblywoman Downey and Assemblyman Houghtaling
SYNOPSIS
Requires hospital patient's medical record to include notation if patient is at increased risk of confusion, agitation, behavioral problems, and wandering due to dementia related disorder.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee on November 30, 2017, with amendments.
An Act concerning medical records of hospital patients 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. A hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) shall require a health care professional 1[, at the time of taking a medical history or performing a physical examination of a patient admitted to an emergency room or the hospital pursuant to regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Health,] or appropriate staff member1 to include a notation in 1[the] a1 patient's medical record indicating1[, if applicable,]1 that the patient has 1[Alzheimer's disease and related disorders] an increased risk of confusion, agitation, behavioral problems, and wandering due to a dementia related disorder, if such notation is requested by the patient’s caregiver1. The notation 1may be included in the patient’s medical record at the time the patient is admitted to the hospital or to the hospital emergency department or when the patient is examined by a health care professional, and1 shall be prominently displayed in the medical record.
b. As used in this section:
1["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]
“Caregiver” means a relative, spouse, partner, friend, or neighbor who has a significant relationship to the patient;
“Dementia” means a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes due to organic brain disease, for which no curative treatment is available, and marked by memory disorders, changes in personality, deterioration in personal care, impaired reasoning ability, and disorientation1; and
"Health care professional" means a physician, 1[dentist, podiatrist,]1 physician assistant, or advanced practice nurse, who is acting within the scope of the professional's practice and is licensed or whose professional practice is otherwise regulated pursuant to Title 45 of the Revised Statutes.
2. The Commissioner of Health shall, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt any rules and regulations as the commissioner deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this act.
3. This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month next following the date of enactment, but the Commissioner of Health may take such anticipatory administrative action in advance thereof as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.