ASSEMBLY, No. 212

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

 

 

By Assemblywoman WEINBERG and Assemblyman ZISA

 

 

An Act concerning the State Board of Medical Examiners and supplementing chapter 9 of Title 45 of the Revised Statutes.

 

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

    1. a. The State Board of Medical Examiners shall establish and maintain a toll-free telephone service to receive complaints and inquiries regarding any health care practitioner subject to licensure by the board. The board shall, upon request, supply information through the telephone service or by letter or facsimile transmission regarding these health care practitioners, including, but not limited to, the number of complaints received by the board about a particular practitioner and the status of any such complaint.

    b. The board shall also develop and make available to any person upon request an easy-to-use complaint form to be used to register a complaint with the board about any health care practitioner subject to licensure by the board. The board shall arrange to supply health care facilities and professional offices maintained by health care practitioners with copies of the form to be made available to patients in a conspicuous place within the facility or office.

 

    2. This act shall take effect on the 60th day after enactment.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This bill requires the State Board of Medical Examiners (BME) to establish and maintain a toll-free telephone service to receive complaints and inquiries regarding any health care practitioner subject to licensure by the board. The BME is further required to supply, upon request, information through the telephone service or by letter or facsimile transmission regarding these health care practitioners, including, but not limited to, the number of complaints received by the board about a particular practitioner and the status of any such complaint.

    In addition, the bill provides that the BME shall develop and make available to any person upon request an easy-to-read complaint form to be used to register a complaint with the board about any health care practitioner subject to licensure by the board. The board shall arrange to supply health care facilities and professional offices maintained by health care practitioners with copies of the form to be made available to patients in a conspicuous place within the facility or office.

 

 

 

Requires State Board of Medical Examiners to provide toll-free telephone service and easy-to-read complaint form regarding health care practitioners.