Gov. Murphy Signs 7 NJ Bills Into Law, Targeting Health Care

NEW JERSEY – Gov. Phil Murphy signed seven bills into law late Monday, including several health care bills intended to help hospitals provide better services amid the COVID crisis.

Murphy signed legislation that lawmakers say would further strengthen the state’s trauma care system, by redoubling efforts to enhance “field triage” decision-making, and making sure patients are transported to the hospital best able to treat their specific injuries.

The signings come a day after Murphy signed marijuana legalization into law. Read more: Marijuana Legalization In New Jersey Is Now Official

The triage law, A-5103/S-3219, sponsored by Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez, would require that each emergency medical services provider in the state certify that its standards, practices, and protocols are in accordance with standards set by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

In New Jersey, unintentional injury is the leading cause of death among persons aged 15-49 and the third-leading cause among all ages combined, lawmakers say.

The law will also codify the regulatory requirement for hospitals to maintain trauma patient transfer criteria and transfer agreements with trauma centers. Such criteria and agreements will be required to provide for the effective and efficient transfer of patients that require the services of a trauma center, lawmakers say.

“We need to make sure critically injured patients are transported to the trauma center or hospital best equipped to manage life-threatening injuries in a timely manner,” said Cruz-Perez, D-Camden/Gloucester. “Our prehospital-care providers are on the front lines of our health care system. They need to be able to think on their feet, and recognize immediately when a patient needs to be transported to a top-tier trauma center to achieve the best outcomes.”

Murphy also signed legislation (A1176) which requires the Department of Health to license certain hospitals to provide full-service diagnostic cardiac catheterization, primary angioplasty, and elective angioplasty services.

This will expand access to these critical preventative measures and put them within reach of more New Jerseyans, Murphy said.

“All New Jerseyans deserve easy access to procedures that can prevent serious illness or death, no matter where they live,” said Murphy. “This law will allow for more hospitals to provide angioplasty services and ensure that those living in lesser populated areas of state are still able to take advantage of these preventative measures.”

A1176 addresses a longstanding lack of licensed angioplasty facilities in several counties in the state, Murphy said.

Under the legislation, hospitals that are not currently licensed surgery centers will be able to apply to the Department of Health to provide the following:

• Full-service diagnostic cardiac catheterization services, provided the hospital thereafter performs at least 250 catheterizations per year;
• Primary (emergency/acute) angioplasty services, provided the hospital has been licensed to provide full-service adult diagnostic catheterization services under the bill for at least six months; and
• Elective angioplasty services, provided the hospital is licensed to provide primary angioplasty services under the bill. The hospital must also ensure all prospective elective angioplasty patients undergo careful selection, screening, and risk stratification.

“Heart disease can be a very treatable illness when the right health measures are able to be taken by a patient in consultation with their medical professional,” said Assembly primary sponsors Andrew Zwicker, Roy Freiman, and Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, in a joint statement. “Angioplasty saves lives every day, but far too often they are performed only in emergencies.

"Elective Angioplasty as a preventive measure can lessen symptoms, improve quality of life, and reduce mortality rates. Ensuring more medical centers are licensed for full-service elective angioplasty and its linked care will increase access to safe and preventative healthcare measures for residents combatting heart disease.”

Murphy also signed the following bills into law:

• A-1135/S-357 (Coughlin, Karabinchak, Vainieri Huttle/Sarlo, Cryan, Vitale, Singleton) –Reinstates prior property tax exemption for nonprofit hospitals with on-site for-profit medical providers; requires some of these hospitals to pay community service contributions; establishes Nonprofit Hospital Community Service Contribution Study Commission; prohibits certain third-party property tax appeals
• A-2964/S-1304 (Reynolds-Jackson, Verrelli/Turner) – Requires all creditors that acquire title to non-owner occupied residential property following foreclosure to notify the municipality and common interest community
• A-5053/S-3212 (Chaparro, Zwicker, Carter/Greenstein, Oroho) – Amends list of environmental infrastructure projects approved for long-term funding for FY2021 to include new projects and modify estimated loan amounts for certain projects; modifies terms and conditions for certain loans utilizing federal funds
• A-5054/S-3211 (Spearman, Swain, Reynolds-Jackson/Bateman, Smith, Singleton) – Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend additional sums to make loans for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2021; modifies terms and conditions for certain loans utilizing federal funds
• A-5103/S-3219 (Spearman/Cruz-Perez, Turner) – Revises requirements for the provision of care to trauma patients
• S-3453/A5359 (Cryan, Scutari, Pou/Quijano, Lopez, Caputo) - Amends certain provisions and effective date applicable to disclosure of personal information of judicial officers, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers