ASSEMBLY REGULATED PROFESSIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 4649

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 17, 2021

     The Assembly Regulated Professions Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 4649.

     This bill requires health care professional licensing boards to utilize the National Practitioner Data Bank.

     The National Practitioner Data Bank is a web-based repository of reports containing information on medical malpractice payments and certain adverse actions related to health care professionals.  The data bank is maintained by the United States Department of Health and Human Services to prevent health care professionals from moving from state to state without discovery of prior bad acts.

     The bill requires professional and occupational licensing boards within the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety that regulate the practice of a health care professional to:

     (1)   not issue an initial license or other authorization to practice a health care profession to any applicant unless the board first determines that no information exists on file in the National Practitioner Data Bank which may disqualify the applicant; and

     (2)   utilize the continuous query function of the National Practitioner Data Bank for each person issued a license or authorization to practice a health care profession.

     The bill provides that boards may not issue or renew or, if renewed, must revoke or suspend a license or other authorization to practice a health care profession that is regulated by that board if the board determines through use of the National Practitioner Data Bank that there is cause to refuse to issue or suspend or revoke any license or authorization of a health care professional.