26:2H-132.2 Requirements for certain facilities concerning end-of-life care.

1. a. Assisted living facilities, dementia care homes, nursing homes, assisted living residences, comprehensive personal care homes, residential health care facilities, hospitals, and long-term care facilities licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) shall:

(1) require all administrative personnel and professional staff to complete an annual training on advance care planning, end-of-life care, and the use of advance directives and Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms;

(2) provide patients and residents, and their families, as appropriate, with educational materials on POLST forms, advance directives, and hospice and palliative care; and

(3) develop and implement policies to identify and address end-of-life care issues for patients and residents upon admission to the facility.

b. The Department of Health shall:

(1) issue a training manual via regulation to establish uniform policies and procedures that a facility, at a minimum, shall follow in order to comply with the requirements outlined in subsection a. of this section. A facility may implement policies and procedures beyond those issued in the department's manual, provided that such policies and procedures do not conflict with the department's regulations; and

(2) require a facility that fails to comply with the provisions of this section to submit a plan of corrective action to the department for approval, and may impose additional penalties or administrative disciplinary action as shall be prescribed by the Commissioner of Health by regulation.

L.2019, c.420, s.1.