New Jersey nursing home responsiveness requirements

The facility must notify the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman immediately of any suspected or reported abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a resident aged 60 or older, and must notify the Department of Health immediately for residents under 60.

The facility shall notify the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman at (800) 792-8820 immediately of any suspected or reported resident abuse, neglect, or exploitation of residents aged 60 or older, pursuant to P.L. 1983 c. 43 (N.J.S.A. 52:27G-7.1), and shall notify the Department immediately at 1-800 792-9770 with respect to residents under the age of 60.

Every licensed health care facility must immediately report criminal or potentially criminal acts endangering life or safety to police and to NJDOH, and for long-term care facilities "immediately" means telephonic notice to the Department followed by written notification within 72 hours; reportable acts expressly include sexual assault on a resident and death or significant injury from a physical assault.

In the case of long-term care facilities, "immediately" means telephonic notification to the Department at (609) 392-2020 followed by written notification within 72 hours.

The medical director must make sure every resident has a designated primary physician and an alternate who can be reached when needed, and the medical director or a designee must respond quickly to medical emergencies not handled by the attending physician.

The medical director shall ensure that for each resident there is a designated primary and an alternate physician who can be contacted when necessary. ... The medical director, or physicians designated by the medical director, shall respond quickly and effectively to medical emergencies that are not handled by another attending physician, including inpatient admissions.

The facility must provide licensed nursing services at all times, with at least one RN on duty during every day shift and at least one RN on duty or on call during every evening and night shift (an RN must be on duty at all times in facilities over 150 beds).

There shall be at least one registered professional nurse on duty in the facility during all day shifts. ... There shall be at least one registered professional nurse on duty or on call during all evening and night shifts.

Every resident has a mandatory right to unaccompanied telephone access at a reasonable hour for private conversations, and to a private telephone in their room at their own expense where technically feasible.

To have unaccompanied access to a telephone at a reasonable hour to conduct private conversations, and, if technically feasible, to have a private telephone in his or her living quarters at the resident's own expense;

New Jersey's Social Isolation Prevention rules require every facility to adopt written policies providing residents with communication technology and trained staff so they can stay in contact with people outside the facility, including by virtual means when in-person visits are restricted.

A facility must adopt and implement written policies and procedures intended to prevent the social isolation of residents. ... Providing technology to residents for the purpose of maintaining contact with individuals outside of the facility;

The facility must have a written comprehensive emergency operations plan developed with the local office of emergency management, must post by title the persons responsible for activating the plan, notifying State and municipal authorities, and alerting staff and residents, and must send the plan to municipal and county emergency management officials and review it with them annually.

The facility shall have a written comprehensive emergency operations plan developed in coordination with the local office of emergency management. ... Identify by title and post in a prominent place the name(s) of the persons who will be responsible for the following: i. Activating the emergency operations plan, issuing evacuation orders, and notifying of State and municipal authorities; ii. Alerting and notifying of staff and residents;

Every resident room must have call bells immediately accessible to the resident in bed or to a person at the bedside.

Call bells immediately accessible to the resident in bed or an individual at bedside;

The facility must run a written quality assessment/quality improvement program with specified time frames, led by designated staff including the director of nursing and a physician or APN reporting directly to the administrator, that audits medical records and tracks named indicators including pressure sores, medication errors, restraints, falls with injury, and incidents of abuse, neglect or misappropriation of resident property.

Quality assessment and/or quality improvement procedures shall be developed and implemented through a written plan that specifies time frames. ... Responsibility for the quality assessment and/or quality improvement program shall be assumed by designated individuals, who shall include the director of nursing services, a physician or advanced practice nurse, and at least three other staff members, and who shall report directly to the administrator.