NJ A1206

Establishes a 24-member Working Group on End-of-Life Care and Palliative Care within the Department of Health, including 4 ex officio members (Commissioners of Health, Human Services, Banking and Insurance, and State Long-Term Care Ombudsman) and 20 public members appointed by the Commissioner of Health

Public members must include representatives from healthcare organizations (NJ Hospital Association, Medical Society of NJ, AARP NJ, etc.), two physicians with pain management or end-of-life expertise (at least one oncologist), one registered nurse, a patient advocate, a faith-based organization representative, and four general public members

Working group must develop a plan to implement recommendations from the 2018 NJ Advisory Council on End-of-Life Care report, report on performance goals and benchmarks for palliative care access, and study strategies to improve end-of-life care including reducing disparities

If the plan is not completed within one year, the chairperson must appear before legislative committees to explain the delay and outline steps being taken toward implementation

The working group expires upon completion and submission of its plan to the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee and Assembly Health Committee, with the plan to be posted on DOH's website