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New Jersey Requires Disclosure on Staffing

New Jersey has joined Illinois as the only states to pass staff-level disclosure laws. New Jersey’s legislation, signed into law in January, requires hospitals and nursing homes to make information on staffing available to the public and state officials. Hospitals and nursing homes must count the number of licensed or registered health care professionals who provide direct patient care on each shift. In addition, the facilities must determine the ratio of patients to licensed or registered health care professionals.   

The New Jersey facilities are also required to update and display staffing levels on a daily basis. The information must be posted in an area where it can be seen by patients and their families. The law requires facilities to provide the data to the public on request, and on a monthly basis to the state Health Department. The Health Department will use the information to compile quarterly reports to aid the public in understanding the data. 

The Illinois law requires hospitals to provide staffing levels upon request (not public postings) and requires hospitals to compile information for quarterly and annual reports, including patient outcomes, nursing hours per patient day and nurse turnover rates.

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