New Jersey minimally regulates its urgent care facilities.
New Jersey law defines and refers to urgent care as "ambulatory care." The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DOHSS) regulates ambulatory care facilities in accordance with the mandates outlined in Chapter 31A of Title 8 of the New Jersey Administrative Code (NJAC).
General Provisions
DOHSS licenses ambulatory care facilities pursuant to NJAC Title 8, Chapter 31A-1.1(b). The license gives an independent ambulatory care facility, which is not affiliated with a hospital, the authority to perform any combination of the following ambulatory care services: "ambulatory surgery, computerized axial tomography, comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, magnetic resonance imaging, megavoltage radiation oncology, positron emission tomography, orthotripsy and sleep disorder services."
Assessment
Licensed ambulatory care facilities that have gross annual incomes of at least $300,000 pay an annual assessment fee to the DOHSS Office of Financial Services. NJAC Title 8, Chapter 31A-2.2(a), outlines that the assessment is paid in four equal installments due January 1, March 15, June 15, and October 1.
The assessment is either 3.5 percent of the gross income from the previous year as reported in the ambulatory care facility's annual report, or $200,000, whichever amount is smaller.
Financial Reporting
Under NJAC Title 8, Chapter 31A-3.1, each licensed ambulatory care facility that has a gross annual income of at least $300,000 submits a certified Financial Report for Licensed Ambulatory Care Facilities Subject to the Ambulatory Assessment (Form #HFEL-5). This report goes to the Ambulatory Care Facility Assessment Program in the DOHSS Office of Health Facilities Evaluation and Licensing. The annual financial report is due May 31.
Penalties
Any ambulatory care facility that operates without a license will pay twice the annual assessment fee for each year that it operated without a license.
Any licensed ambulatory care facility that does not submit its annual financial report by May 31 is assessed a daily late fee of $500 until it is submitted. If it is not submitted by June 30, that particular ambulatory care facility will pay the maximum, instead of the minimum, assessment fee the next year.
Any licensed ambulatory care facility that is found to have underreported its annual gross income after DOHSS conducts an audit, will pay the difference between the underreported amount and the audited amount.
Tags: ambulatory care, care facility, ambulatory care, ambulatory care facility, care facility that, facility that