N.J. Admin. Code § 8:39-5.2

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 21, November 4, 2024

Section 8:39-5.2 - Admissions

(a) The facility shall establish a single waiting list in chronological order. The order of names shall be predicated upon the order in which a completed written application is received. Hospitalized individuals ready for readmission to the facility are to be added to the top of the list as soon as the hospital notifies the facility of the contemplated discharge. As soon as a bed becomes available, it shall be filled from this waiting list. Provisions can be made for emergency, life-threatening situations or life-care community admissions.

1. The facility shall meet the following requirements:

i. The facility shall maintain only one waiting list; this list shall reflect a roster updated on a regular basis, of all individuals who have applied for admission to the facility;

ii. The waiting list shall reflect in chronological order the full name and address of the individual applying by the date the written application for admission is made;

iii. Facilities that participate in the Medicaid program shall utilize the waiting list to admit individuals on a first-come, first-serve basis in the order in which they apply until the provider's Medicaid occupancy level equals the Statewide occupancy level, or the Medicaid occupancy level set forth in the provider's Certificate of Need, whichever is higher; and

iv. A file shall be maintained containing full documentation to support any valid reason why the individual whose name appears first on the waiting list is not admitted to the facility.

2. Any Medicaid participating facility whose Medicaid occupancy level is less than the Statewide occupancy level shall not deny admission to a Medicaid eligible individual who has been authorized for nursing facility services by the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Aging Services, when a bed becomes available in accordance with the waiting list.

i. Under the provisions of N.J.S.A 10:5-12.2, a facility with a residential unit or a life-care community may give its own residents priority when a bed becomes available.

(b) The facility shall not deny admission to any applicant for admission ("applicant for admission" means an individual who has made a formal application) based on diagnosis or health care needs if the applicant's health care needs can be reasonably accommodated without reducing the quality of care provided to other residents, and are commensurate with the services provided by the facility.

(c) Whenever the facility denies admission to an applicant for admission, the facility, within 14 days of the denial, shall provide written notice of the denial and the reasons therefore, to the applicant or person applying on the applicant's behalf. A record of each completed application, including the disposition and stated reason if admission is denied, shall be kept for one year.

N.J. Admin. Code § 8:39-5.2

Amended by 53 N.J.R. 2199(a), effective 12/20/2021