N.J. Admin. Code § 8:43A-26.5

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 23, December 2, 2024

Section 8:43A-26.5 - Drug abuse counseling services

(a) If the facility provides drug abuse treatment services, drug abuse counseling services shall be provided directly in the facility to patients.

(b) A facility providing drug abuse treatment services shall, in addition to complying with N.J.A.C. 8:43A-10, comply with the following:

1. Each patient shall be assigned to a drug counselor, with assignment documented in the patient's medical record. A drug counselor's caseload shall not exceed 50 patients;

2. All outpatient methadone detoxification programs shall provide a minimum of one counseling session per week to each patient during the first four months after initiation of treatment and at least one counseling session every two weeks thereafter until discharged;

3. All outpatient methadone maintenance programs shall assign each patient to one of the following stages and provide counseling to the patient in accordance with the following schedule:

i. Stage I. At least one counseling session per week during the first three months of treatment;

ii. Stage ii. At least one counseling session every two weeks from the beginning of the fourth month to the end of the ninth month of treatment;

iii. Stage Iii. At least one counseling session per month from the beginning of the tenth month to the end of the second year of treatment; and

iv. Stage IV. At least one counseling session every three months after completion of two years of treatment;

4. A patient in an outpatient methadone maintenance program who becomes symptomatic of drug or alcohol abuse for the first time after admission shall return to a minimum of one counseling session per week until symptoms cease and shall remain in his or her present stage of treatment;

5. A patient in an outpatient methadone maintenance program who becomes symptomatic of drug or alcohol abuse for a second or subsequent time after admission may be returned to a lower stage of treatment; and

6. Drug abuse counseling services shall include the provision of individual counseling and the availability of group, family, and/or vocational counseling.

(c) If an administrator performs both administrative and other functions, written documentation of the administrator's time spent in each function shall be maintained. The administrator's time spent in administrative functions shall not be included in the computation of staffing levels for nursing or counseling services.

N.J. Admin. Code § 8:43A-26.5