N.J.S.A. 26:2H-5.24 — Findings, declarations relative to designated caregivers.

26:2H-5.24 Findings, declarations relative to designated caregivers. 1. The Legislature finds and declares that: a. According to the American Association of Retired Professional's Public Policy Institute, at any given time, an estimated 1.75 million people in New Jersey provide varying degrees of unreimbursed care to adults with limitations in daily activities. The total value of the unpaid care to individuals in need of long-term services and supports amounts to an estimated $13 billion per year. b. Caregivers are often members of the individual's immediate family, but friends and other community members also serve as caregivers. Although most caregivers are asked to assist an individual with basic activities of daily living, such as mobility, eating, and dressing, many are expected to perform complex tasks on a daily basis, such as administering multiple medications, providing wound care, and operating medical equipment. c. Despite the vast importance of caregivers in the individual's day-to-day care, and despite the fact that 78 percent of caregivers report managing multiple medications, administering injections, and performing other health maintenance tasks, research has shown that many caregivers feel that they do not have the necessary skill set to perform the caregiving tasks they are asked to perform when a loved one is discharged from the hospital. d. The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) estimates that $17 billion in Medicare funds is spent each year on unnecessary hospital readmissions. Additionally, hospitals desire to avoid the imposition of new readmission penalties under the federal "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," Pub.L.111-148, as amended by the "Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010," Pub.L.111-152 (ACA). e. In order to successfully address the challenges of a surging population of older adults and others who have significant needs for long-term services and supports, the State must develop methods to enable caregivers to continue to support their loved ones at home and in the community, and avoid costly hospital readmissions. f. The New Jersey Hospital Association and hospitals in its Hospital Engagement Network have utilized transitional caregiver models to reduce readmissions by over 13 percent from January 2012 to December 2013, leading to 5,492 fewer patients being readmitted during that time, at a cost savings of over $52 million. g. Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature that this act enables caregivers to provide competent post-hospital care to their family and other loved ones, at minimal cost to the taxpayers of this State. L.2014, c.68, s.1. 26:2H-5.25 Definitions relative to designated caregivers. 2. As used in this act: "After-care assistance" means any assistance provided by a caregiver to a patient following the patient's discharge from a hospital that is related to the patient's condition at the time of discharge, including, but not limited to: assisting with basic activities of daily living; instrumental activities of daily living; and other tasks as determined to be appropriate by the discharging physician or other health care professional licensed pursuant to Title 45 or Title 52 of the Revised Statutes. "Caregiver" means any individual designated as a caregiver by a patient pursuant to this act who provides after-care assistance to a patient in the patient's residence. The term includes, but is not limited to, a relative, spouse, partner, friend, or neighbor who has a significant relationship with the patient. "Discharge" means a patient's exit or release from a hospital to the patient's residence following any medical care or treatment rendered to the patient following an inpatient admission. "Entry" means a patient's admission into a hospital for the purposes of receiving inpatient medical care. "Hospital" means a general acute care hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.). "Residence" means the dwelling that the patient considers to be the patient's home. The term shall not include any rehabilitation facility, hospital, nursing home, assisted living facility, or group home licensed by the Department of Health. L.2014, c.68, s.2.

This is the verbatim text of N.J.S.A. 26:2H-5.24, retrieved from the New Jersey Legislature's public statute corpus. Statutes are amended periodically — for the most current version, check the external source link above. Kyzer is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice.