Bill
Bill > S319
NJ S319
NJ S319Establishes Office of Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders Policy to oversee, direct, and coordinate resources, funding, and data tracking concerning treatment of substance use disorders.
summary
Introduced
01/09/2024
01/09/2024
In Committee
01/09/2024
01/09/2024
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2024-2025 Regular Session
Bill Summary
This bill establishes the Office of Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders Policy (Office). The Office will be responsible for reviewing and coordinating all State departments' efforts with regard to the planning and provision of treatment, prevention, research, evaluation, and education services for, and public awareness of, alcohol use disorders and drug use disorders. The Office will serve strategic planning, advisory, coordination, communication, and development functions in order to coordinate Statewide efforts and drive improvements in the prevention of, and provision of treatment for, alcohol use disorders and drug use disorders. The Office will be allocated within the Department of the Treasury but will be independent of the department and will report directly to the Governor. The duties of the Office will include developing a Comprehensive Statewide Alcohol Use Disorders and Drug Use Disorders Master Plan, to be submitted to the Governor and the Legislature by July 1 of each year, for the treatment, prevention, research, evaluation, education, and public awareness of alcohol use disorders and drug use disorders. The plan is to: incorporate and unify all State, county, local, and private alcohol use disorders and drug use disorders initiatives; include an emphasis on prevention, community awareness, and family and youth services; and include recommendations for funding allocations. The Office will be required to review County Annual Alliance Plans and propose recommendations for awarding Alliance grants, and will additionally be responsible for distributing certain grants to counties and municipalities for alcohol use disorders and drug use disorders programs and evaluating the existing funding mechanisms for treatment services for alcohol use disorders and drug use disorders. The Office will be required to encourage the development or expansion of employee assistance programs for both government and private sector employees. The Office will be authorized to call upon any department, office, division, agency, or independent authority of State government to provide such information, resources, or other assistance as may be necessary to discharge the duties and functions of the Office and fulfill its responsibilities. The Office may collect from any State, county, local governmental entity, or any other appropriate source data, reports, statistics, or other materials which are necessary to carry out the functions of the Office. The executive director of the Office will be required to convene a meeting, on at least an annual basis and at such additional intervals as the executive director of the office deems necessary, to be attended by the Attorney General, the Commissioner of Health, the Commissioner of Human Services, the Commissioner of Education, the Commissioner of Corrections, the Commissioner of Children and Families, the Commissioner of Community Affairs, the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, the Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services, the Assistant Commissioner for the Children's System of Care, and other appropriate agencies, officers, and entities, in order to plan, develop, and coordinate State and local efforts to improve the prevention of, and the provision of treatment for, alcohol and drug use disorders. The Office will be administered by an executive director, who will be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The executive director is to be a person qualified by education, training, and experience to perform the duties of the office. The executive director will serve at the pleasure of the Governor during the Governor's term of office and until the appointment and qualification of the executive director's successor. The executive director will have the power to employ staff within the limits of funds appropriated or made available for that purpose, and will have broad authority to coordinate communication between, and request and receive information from, any department, division, or agency of the State. The executive director will be required to devote full time to the duties and responsibilities of the office, and will receive a salary as provided by law. The Office will be required to develop and maintain a centralized Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders Treatment Resource Database that can be used to track Statewide treatment data, direct resources, develop recommendations regarding the allocation of funding and resources, facilitate referrals to available treatment resources, and evaluate provider performance. Specifically, treatment providers will be required to report certain data concerning patient wait times, the levels and duration of treatment provided to patients, the number of patients referred to other treatment providers and the reasons for those referrals, treatment completion rates, relapse and long-term recovery rates, and any other data or metrics the Office deems necessary and appropriate. The Office will use this data to evaluate provider performance as well as to develop best practices guidelines and performance benchmarks. Additionally, treatment providers will be required update the database to indicate the availability of treatment spots at the provider, including the level of treatment available in each spot, the number of patients awaiting treatment, and the provider's anticipated treatment availability in the next 24 hours. Providers will be required to update this information at least once every 12 hours, and at more frequent intervals if the Office determines that more frequent or real-time reporting is feasible and appropriate. Treatment providers and agencies, offices, and other entities that serve as a contact point for patients seeking treatment will have access to the treatment availability information in the database for the purpose of referring patients to treatment. The Office will be required to collaborate with the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Health to include in the centralized database data concerning the number, location, and types of interventions performed throughout the State to treat drug overdoses, and in particular overdoses involving opioid drugs, in order to identify patterns in overdose incidents, coordinate outreach efforts in the affected communities, and determine and direct the Statewide allocation of funding and resources for the treatment of drug use disorders. The Office will be authorized to establish programs providing financial and other incentives to treatment providers who achieve certain performance benchmarks established by the Office to drive improvements in the treatment of alcohol and drug use disorders. Benchmark goals may address patient wait times, patient retention, patient progression through a course of treatment, and the number and rate of patients who complete treatment. The Office will be required to periodically review and revise any incentive programs it establishes in order to maintain the integrity of the program, ensure the program is realizing improvements in patient care, modify benchmarks as needed, and revise or eliminate any aspects of a program that may result in adverse unintended consequences. The Office is to utilize the database and consult with treatment providers and appropriate State, county, and local agencies to identify barriers that reduce the ability of patients to access appropriate treatment services. The Office is to develop appropriate responses to address or remove barriers to access, which may include: developing programs to provide transportation assistance, child care assistance, or home visits; working with health benefits carriers to secure coverage for all appropriate treatment modalities and services related to treatment; and working with treatment providers to promote flexible scheduling and expanded hours, and encourage and support providers to become authorized to prescribe and administer medication-assisted treatment. For the purposes of establishing and maintaining a centralized database, the Office will be permitted to utilize, modify, or adapt any existing systems that provide functions related to, or that would supplement, the functions and purpose of the centralized database. The Office will also be authorized to contract with an independent third party to establish and maintain the database. The bill provides that, to the extent that the centralized database includes any personal identifying information or any confidential health information concerning any patient, such information may not be disclosed to any entity except as may be required pursuant to State or federal law. The Office is to seek to avoid requiring any personal identifying information or confidential health information to be reported to, or included in, the database. The Office will be required to make available to the public, through its Internet website, certain data concerning the provision of treatment for alcohol and drug use disorders, including: patient wait times; treatment program completion rates; reasons for non-completion of treatment; the level and nature of treatment modalities provided and the average duration of each phase of treatment; long-term recovery rates; remission and overdose rates; patient referrals made by treatment providers to other providers; and any other information the office deems appropriate. The Office will be required to develop standards, policies, and procedures to support the various departments, divisions, agencies, offices, and other entities that enter into contracts with treatment providers to ensure compliance with the terms of the contract and any applicable State or federal laws, regulations, and requirements, including: ensuring that any requirements for payment under the contract are met; ensuring providers are complying with all applicable criminal history record background check and drug testing requirements for provider staff; and ensuring prompt reconciliation of any claims for payment, including promptly closing out contracts, processing claims, and collecting receivables and other amounts owed. For this purpose, the Office will be authorized to designate a compliance officer, who may retain appropriate staff to provide support services to the various departments, divisions, agencies, offices, and other entities. The bill revises various provisions of the current statutory law to update references to include the Office and to transfer certain functions of the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse to the Office.
AI Summary
This bill establishes the Office of Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders Policy (Office) to oversee, direct, and coordinate resources, funding, and data tracking concerning the treatment of substance use disorders in New Jersey. The Office will be responsible for developing a comprehensive statewide plan, reviewing county plans, distributing grants, evaluating funding mechanisms, and establishing a centralized treatment resource database. The Office will also have authority to provide incentives to treatment providers, identify and address barriers to treatment access, and ensure compliance with contracts between treatment providers and state agencies. The bill updates references to the Office in various existing laws related to alcohol and drug use disorder initiatives and funding.
Committee Categories
Health and Social Services
Sponsors (1)
Last Action
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee (on 01/09/2024)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
Document Type | Source Location |
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State Bill Page | https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2024/S319 |
BillText | https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2024/S0500/319_I1.HTM |
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