The NJHA Policy Development Committee today heard a presentation from Hackensack University Medical Center on its Mobile Satellite Emergency Department, which was deployed during Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath to maintain access to acute care services in areas where hospitals sustained damage.

HUMC officials are seeking to create a consortium to support the continued operation of the MSED. Committee members agreed that it is a valuable statewide asset that must be maintained and agreed to have further discussions on ways to build broad support for its future.

In other action today, the Committee:

• Approved the creation of an ACO Constituency Group and discussed additional opportunities to foster increased discussion among providers across the continuum of care.
• Agreed to forward to the NJHA Board a discussion on a Board of Medical Examiners provision that prohibits hospitals from owning physician practices. NJHA had submitted a petition for rulemaking to eliminate the prohibition, noting trends in industry integration under healthcare reform. The BME denied the petition, and Committee members agreed that the issue warrants additional discussion at the Board level to consider next steps.
• Approved a white paper on Certificate of Need policy in New Jersey and agreed to have the document forwarded to the NJHA Board for possible inclusion in a guiding principle document on CN issues. The white paper is the product of a special Certificate of Need Task Force.
• Agreed to allow the N.J. Business and Industry Association to take the lead in expressing employers’ position on a paid sick leave bill pending in the Legislature.