A 5236 — Requires DCF to strengthen Statewide pediatric psychiatry and behavioral health care services for children and families.

A5236 1R [First Reprint] ASSEMBLY, No.

KENNEDY District 22 (Somerset and Union)    Co-Sponsored  by:   SYNOPSIS      Requires DCF to strengthen Statewide pediatric psychiatry and behavioral health care services for children and families.

Assemblyman Verrelli and Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson   CURRENT  VERSION  OF  TEXTSYNOPSIS      AsRequires introduced.DCF to strengthen Statewide pediatric psychiatry and behavioral health care services for children and families.

  CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT      As reported by the Assembly Budget Committee on June 28, 2026, with amendments.

       1. 1. The Department of Children and Families shall be responsible for overseeing and implementing policies and procedures to strengthen Statewide pediatric psychiatry and behavioral health care services for children and their families.  In implementing the policies and procedures prescribed in this section, the department shall:

     1a.1 a.  The expandDepartment the services provided by the New Jersey Pediatric Psychiatry Collaborative (NJPPC) to better support pediatricians who are members of theChildren NJPPCand inFamilies deliveringshall ongoingbe longitudinalresponsible behavioralfor healthoverseeing care within primary care settings and buildingimplementing pediatricpolicies and familyprocedures medicineto practicestrengthen autonomyStatewide topediatric providepsychiatry qualityand behavioral health care services for children and their families.  TheIn expansionimplementing ofthe servicespolicies toand pediatricprocedures primaryprescribed carein physiciansthis whosection, are members of the NJPPCdepartment shallshall: include, but not be limited to:

     1[a.  expand] (1) increasedComplete accessan evaluation of the current services provided by the contracted entity for the Child Collaborative Mental Health Care Program (CCMHCP) to telepsychiatrycollect information on process and outcomes with clear performance measures of1 the services provided by the 1[New Jersey Pediatric Psychiatry Collaborative (NJPPC)] department’s contracted entity for the CCMHCP1 to facilitate:better support pediatricians who are members of the 1[NJPPC] CCMHCP1 in delivering ongoing longitudinal behavioral health care within primary care settings and building pediatric and family medicine practice autonomy to provide quality behavioral health care for children and their families.  The expansion of services to pediatric primary care physicians who are members of the 1[NJPPC] CCMHCP1 shall include, but not be limited to:

     (a)1[(1)] virtual(a)1 psychiatricincreased consultations;access to telepsychiatry services to facilitate:

     (b)1[(a)] the(i)1 acquisitionvirtual ofpsychiatric telehealthconsultations; equipment for NJPPC member offices;

     (c)1[(b)] guidance(ii)1 from,the andacquisition consultationof with,telehealth NJPPCequipment childfor and1[NJPPC] adolescentCCMHCP1 psychiatristsmember inoffices; providing real-time psychiatric care to address a patient’s psychiatric or behavioral health care needs;

     (d)1[(c)] patient(iii)1 guidance from, and family-centeredconsultation approachwith, for1[NJPPC] improvedCCMHCP1 patientchild engagement,and adolescent psychiatrists in providing real-time psychiatric care coordination,to andaddress clinicala outcomes;patient’s psychiatric or behavioral health care needs;

and      (e)1[(d)] (iv)1 patient choiceand byfamily-centered improvingapproach thefor availabilityimproved ofpatient psychiatricengagement, services in the offices of pediatric primary care physicianscoordination, orand aclinical patient’soutcomes; home;

and      (2)1[(e)] the(v)1 developmentpatient ofchoice structuredby consultation,improving follow-upthe support,availability clinicalof guidance,psychiatric and intake and referral services providedin bythe NJPPCoffices childof and adolescent psychiatrist and behavioral health staff that enable pediatric primary care physicians whoor area memberspatient’s ofhome; the NJPPC to initiate, adjust, and manage the treatment of patients;

1[and      b. (2)] in(b)1 consultation with the Departmentdevelopment of Bankingstructured andconsultation, Insurance,follow-up thesupport, Departmentclinical ofguidance, Health,and intake and thereferral Departmentservices ofprovided Humanby Services,1[NJPPC] analyzeCCMHCP1 child and recommendadolescent adjustments1[psychiatrist] topsychiatrist1 paymentand structuresbehavioral andhealth reimbursementstaff ratesthat forenable pediatric primary care physicians providingwho pediatricare psychiatrymembers andof behavioralthe care1[NJPPC] healthCCMHCP1 services, to including,initiate, butadjust, notand limitedmanage to, increased rates for prolonged office visits, the provisiontreatment of carepatients; coordination, and consultation and training activities;

    1; c.  increase transparency and accountability within PerformCare or other future contracted system administrators by:

and      (1)(c) includingthe targetestablishment performanceof measuresa requirement that CCMHCP provides medical education via case-based learning collaboratives to address gaps in professional knowledge and skills relating to thepsychotropic provisionmedication management, side effect monitoring, co-occurring conditions, and care for youth with more complex presentations of servicespsychiatric inconditions;1 all     contract1[b.  agreementsin] entered(2) intoIn1 consultation with PerformCarethe orDepartment otherof futureBanking contractedand systemInsurance, administrators,the including,Department butof notHealth, limitedand to,the responseDepartment times,of waitHuman times,Services, referralanalyze outcomes,and servicerecommend utilization,adjustments to payment structures and familyreimbursement experiencerates uponfor whichpediatric PerformCare,primary orcare otherphysicians futureproviding contractpediatric systempsychiatry administratorsand shallbehavioral becare assessed;health services, including, but not limited to, increased rates for prolonged office visits, the provision of care coordination, and consultation and training activities;

     (2)1[c.  makingincrease] available(3) toIncrease1 thetransparency public, upon request, the results and theaccountability analysiswithin of1[PerformCare allor targetother performancefuture]1 measurescontracted includedsystem inadministrators allby: future contracts pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection;

     (3)1[(1)] conducting(a)1 periodic,including independenttarget evaluationsperformance ofmeasures relating to the existingprovision of services in all contract agreementagreements entered into with PerformCare1[PerformCare relatingor toother itsfuture]1 performancecontracted undersystem theadministrators, termsincluding, ofbut thenot contract;limited to, response times, wait times, referral outcomes, service utilization, and family experience upon which 1[PerformCare, or other future contract] contracted1 system administrators shall be assessed;

and      (4)1[(2)] establishing(b)1 amaking regularlyavailable scheduledto biddingthe processpublic, promotingupon competition,request, accountability,the transparency,results and qualitythe analysis of servicesall fortarget agenciesperformance andmeasures organizationsincluded interested in contractingall withfuture thecontracts divisionpursuant to become1subparagraph a(a) contractedof1 systemparagraph administrator;1[(1)] (3)1 of this subsection;

     d. 1[(3)] establish(c)1 aconducting publicperiodic, awarenessindependent campaignevaluations toof informthe andexisting educatecontract theagreement public,entered ininto awith clear,1[PerformCare] comprehensive,contracted andsystem family-friendlyadministrators1 manner,relating aboutto theits servicesperformance providedunder by the Divisionterms of Children’s System of Care in the Departmentcontract; of Children and Families and how to access such services through PerformCare.  The public awareness campaign shall:

and      1[(4)] (d)1 establishing a regularly scheduled bidding process promoting competition, accountability, transparency, and quality of services for agencies and organizations interested in contracting with the division to become a contracted system administrator1[;] .1       1[d.  establish a public awareness campaign to inform and educate the public, in a clear, comprehensive, and family-friendly manner, about the services provided by the Division of Children’s System of Care in the Department of Children and Families and how to access such services through PerformCare.  The public awareness campaign shall:

and      e.  in consultation with the] b.  (1) The1 Department of Health1, in consultation with the Department of HealthChildren and Families, the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Office of the Attorney General,1 and the Department of Human Services:Services 1shall1:

     (1)1[(1)] (a)1 require health care facilities, pediatric primary care physicians, hospital emergency departments, and pediatric behavioral health care programs 1that use electronic health records1 to report standardized data on the:

     (a)1[(a)] (i)1 number of inpatient hospital, pediatric primary care office, or hospital emergency room visits, or referrals from pediatric behavioral health care programs to a hospital, office, or emergency room for children seeking pediatric psychiatry or behavioral health care services, and the number of children who are admitted to an inpatient hospital as a result of such visits or referrals;

     (b)1[(b)] (ii)1 length of stay at an inpatient hospital for children seeking pediatric psychiatry or behavioral health care services;

     (c)1[(c)] (iii)1 length of stay at an inpatient hospital for children seeking pediatric psychiatry or behavioral health care services who are clinically ready for discharge;

     (d)1[(d)] (iv)1 number of children seeking pediatric psychiatry or behavioral health care services whose placement outside the home for continued treatment after being discharged from an inpatient hospital has been delayed because no appropriate alternative placement can be found;

and      (e)1[(e)] (v)1 number of children seeking pediatric psychiatry or behavioral health care services who are transferred to out-of-state behavioral health care facilities for continued treatment after being discharged from an inpatient hospital;

and      (2)1[(2)] (b)1 collect, compile, and analyze the standardized data reported by health care facilities, pediatric primary care physicians, hospital emergency departments, and pediatric behavioral health care programs pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsectionsubsection1, which shall be publicly reported by the respective agencies1 to guide service delivery planning, identify service gaps, prioritize capacity development, and support policy and funding decisions to expand access to pediatric psychiatry and behavioral health care services including, but not limited to, out of home placements.

     f. 1(2) AsTo definedeffectuate the provisions of this subsection, the Department of Health, in consultation with, the Department of Children and Families, the Division of Consumer Affairs, and the Department of Human Services, may define data elements and issue standardized definitions to guide the reporting of data required pursuant to paragraph (1) of this section:subsection.

     “Contracted(3) systemShould administrator” means an entity contractedrequired byto report data pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection violate a provision of this subsection, the Department of Health, the Department of Children and FamiliesFamilies, tothe provideDivision utilizationof Consumer Affairs, and carethe coordinationDepartment managementof toHuman childrenServices, anddepending theirupon familieswhich receivingdepartment behavioralor healthdivision carehas regulatory authority over the entity in question, may, upon notice and otherhearing, supportassess servicesa throughpenalty thein Divisionan amount of Children’sat Systemleast $100 but not more than $500 for each day the entity is in violation of Care.this subsection.

     The “Highpenalty acuitymay services”be meansrecovered behavioralin healtha caresummary servicesproceeding providedpursuant to a"The patientPenalty toEnforcement addressLaw severeof and1999," complexP.L.1999, psychologicalc.274 disorders(C.2A:58-10 thatet requireseq.).1 intense     and1[f.] immediatec.1  interventions. As Highdefined acuityin servicesthis include,section: but are not limited to, acute inpatient hospitalization, medication management, and therapeutic interventions.

     1“Child Collaborative Mental Health Care Program” or “CCMHCP” means the Statewide initiative funded by the Department of Children and Families to improve access to psychiatric or behavioral health care treatment for children who are under the care of a pediatric primary care physician and their families.1      “Contracted system administrator” means an entity contracted by the Department Children and Families to provide utilization and care coordination management to children and their families receiving behavioral health care and other support services through the Division of Children’s System of Care.

     1[“High acuity services” means behavioral health care services provided to a patient to address severe and complex psychological disorders that require intense and immediate interventions.  High acuity services include, but are not limited to, acute inpatient hospitalization, medication management, and therapeutic interventions.

     “PerformCare” means the system administrator contracted by the Department of Children and Families to provide a family-centered, community-focused single point of entry for eligible children and their families to the Division of Children’s System of Care in order to access State-funded behavioral health care, substance use treatment, or developmental disability services.services.]1        2.  a.  No later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this act, the Department of  Children and Families shall submit to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature a report on 1[the materials prepared pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection d.

 and]1      2.  a.  No later than 12 months after the datestandardized ofdata enactmentcollected ofpursuant this act, the Department of  Children and Families shall submit to the1sub-subparagraph Governor(i) and,of1 pursuantsubparagraph to(a) section 2 of P.L.1991,paragraph c.164(1) (C.52:14-19.1),of tosubsection the1[e.] Legislatureb.1 aof reportsection on1 the materials prepared pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsectionthis d.act.

and the standardized data collected pursuant to subparagraph (a) of paragraph (1) of subsection e.

of section 1 of this act.

       3.  Pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), the Department of Children and Families 1and the Department of Health1 shall adopt any rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.

       4.  This act shall take effect on the first day of the six1[six] sixth1 month next following enactment.