Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a) Opioid treatment and detoxification facilities are required under
N.J.A.C. 10:161B-7 to hire a physician as medical director who is currently licensed in accordance with the
laws of this State to perform the scope of services set forth in this chapter. This physician must be
certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), or its successor certification board, by June
1, 2012.
1. A physician currently licensed to practice in the State of New
Jersey, who has not completed ASAM certification by June 1, 2012, must have worked in a substance use
disorder treatment facility a minimum of five years for at least 20 hours per week and have completed the
ASAM/American Association for the Treatment of Opioid
Dependence (AATOD) clinicians training course,
http://www.aatod.org/resources/additional-education-on-opioid-dependence/providers-clinical-support-system-for-medic
(b) Although the medical director is not required to
be on site on a full-time basis, the medical director is required to be on site as often as necessary in
order to perform the responsibilities of the position. The facility shall establish written timeframes in
which the medical director is required to be on site and, in the event of emergencies, arrive at the
facility. In addition, the facility shall develop written parameters in which the medical director shall be
available by telephone. Such parameters shall include the timeframes in which the medical director shall
respond to the facility if paged, contacted by cellphone or by other means.
(c) The medical director shall be responsible for the direction, provision,
and quality of medical services provided to clients including, but not limited to, the following:
1. Providing administrative oversight of the facility's medical
services;
2. Assisting the administrator of the program in the
development and maintenance of written objectives, policies, a procedure manual, an organization plan, and a
quality assurance program for medical services, and review of all medical policies and procedures at least
annually;
i. Such documentation shall be shared with the facility's
physician, the director of nursing services and other appropriate medical staff on an ongoing basis or as
revisions are made;
3. In conjunction with the
administrator and the governing authority of the substance use disorder treatment program, planning and
budgeting for medical services;
4. Ensuring that medical services
are coordinated and integrated with other client care services to ensure continuity of care for each
client;
5. Ensuring that the program complies with required
medical staffing patterns noted in this chapter;
6. Assisting in
the development of written job descriptions for the medical staff, reviewing of credentials, participating in
hiring of medical staff, delineating privileges of medical staff, and assigning duties of the medical
staff;
7. Participating in staff orientation and staff education
activities when applicable;
8. Approving the content and location
of emergency kits or carts, medications including controlled substances, equipment and supplies, the
expiration dates of medically related time-sensitive items, the frequency with which these items are reviewed
for appropriateness and completeness, and assigning qualified staff to perform these reviews;
9. Reviewing any physical examination reports and medical screening results
conducted off-site of a client for the preadmissions process or for other medical concerns, in order to
ensure that the client's medical needs are considered and addressed in the development of the treatment plan
and throughout treatment; and
10. Providing supervision of the
facility's physician(s).
