ASSEMBLY HEALTH COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 1728

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: MAY 30, 1996

      The Assembly Health Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 1728 with committee amendments.

      As amended by the committee, this bill provides that a hospital which is granted accreditation by a voluntary accreditation agency approved by the Department of Health (DOH) is exempt from the requirement of DOH annual licensure inspections, subject to the following conditions: the hospital shall be required to furnish DOH with a copy of the accreditation agency findings within 60 days after its receipt of those findings and the hospital's plan for correcting any deficiencies found by the agency as well as any progress reports required by the agency or DOH with regard to the correction of those deficiencies; and the hospital shall be required to correct those deficiencies within the time period specified by the accreditation agency.

      While the bill exempts accredited hospitals from the annual inspection requirement, it requires that in the case of a three-year accreditation, the department shall conduct an unannounced inspection of the hospital no later than 24 months after the date the accreditation was granted. This requirement will ensure a continued State role in the inspection of hospitals.

      The bill also provides that DOH may inspect an accredited hospital under the following circumstances:

      (a) for an investigation of specific complaints, services or conditions which have been reported to or identified by the department;

      (b) when an investigation is necessary for the furnishing to the department by a hospital of any information and reports which are authorized by State or federal law; or

      (c) if the hospital receives a conditional accreditation or fails to be accredited.

      The committee amended the bill to apply its provisions to a hospital which is accredited by any voluntary accreditation agency approved by DOH, rather than only the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations, as provided in the original bill.

      This bill is similar to Assembly Bill No. 258 (2R) of 1994 (Vandervalk), which passed the Assembly during the previous session but did not advance beyond second reading in the Senate.