N.J. Admin. Code § 10:31-2.5

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 17, September 3, 2024

Section 10:31-2.5 - Availability of staff

(a) A screening service shall have, at a minimum, the following personnel:

1. A psychiatrist, who shall be available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, to provide telephone consultation, medication orders, and face-to-face evaluation as needed. Psychiatrist availability may be accomplished through telepsychiatry when the conditions set forth at N.J.A.C. 10:31-2.3(i)2 are met.

i. The amount of on-site coverage should be appropriate to the amount of volume experienced by this service.

ii. A written protocol shall indicate the procedures, timeframes and circumstances under which a psychiatrist is to respond. The psychiatrist must be on scheduled duty as the screening service psychiatrist while performing the screening process;

2. Screeners who shall be available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, to provide screening as needed on site at the screening service and off-site through mobile screening outreach services.

i. A written protocol shall indicate the procedures, circumstances and timeframes within which screeners will respond to off-site locations.

ii. When screeners are available via on-call system, agency protocol shall indicate the timeframes and circumstances under which screeners will be required to respond on-site;

3. Qualified personnel who shall be on-site to provide continuous monitoring of the patient in the ECEBs and administration of medication, as needed;

4. A screening service or affiliated emergency service coordinator, or his or her designee, who shall be available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, to provide administrative and treatment planning direction as needed.

i. A written agency protocol shall delineate the chain of command and procedure for contacting the coordinator or designee 24 hours per day.

ii. A written protocol shall indicate situations when the coordinator or designee must be contacted;

5. A medical director who shall be a psychiatrist, who shall be available on either a full-time or part-time basis to provide/coordinate medical services; and

6. Qualified personnel, as specified in the contract between the screening service and the Division, sufficient to provide required consultation and education, hotline coverage, psycho-education, and other appropriate services, including coordination of the acute care system review procedures.

(b) An affiliated emergency service shall have, at a minimum, the following personnel:

1. A psychiatrist, who shall be available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, to provide telephone consultation, medication orders, and face-to-face evaluation, as needed. Psychiatrist availability may be accomplished through telepsychiatry when the conditions set forth at N.J.A.C. 10:31-2.3(i)2 are met;

2. A crisis intervention specialist who shall be available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, to provide assessment, monitoring, and treatment planning as needed; and

3. Those emergency services that have ECEBs and administer medication must have personnel qualified to treat and monitor patients, as specified in the contract between the center and the Division.

N.J. Admin. Code § 10:31-2.5

Amended by 50 N.J.R. 537(a), effective 1/16/2018