New Jersey § 30:4e-1

§ 30:4e-1.

The Legislature hereby finds and declares that the effective and appropriate provision

of home health care and homemaker services to persons in their homes can be an important

step toward eliminating not only the nursing home bed shortage which currently exists

in this State but also preventing the inappropriate placement of our citizens into

other forms of institutional care. Although there exists in this State a large number of agencies providing home health

care and homemaker services, there also exists the problem of severe service fragmentation. There are different types of agencies, providing somewhat different services, subjected

to different State and Federal regulations, and eligible for different sources of

reimbursement. This fragmentation has in fact meant that to date home health care has not been

able to reach its full potential as an integral part of the health care delivery system. The Legislature finds therefore that there is a tremendous need for greater coordination

and information in the home health care field. There needs to be effected not only coordination of the services rendered by home

health care and homemaker agencies, but also some coordination of the often conflicting

State and Federal regulations. Only through such coordination will home health care and homemaker agencies be able

to render an adequate array of services to patients in their homes, thereby avoiding

prolonged institutionalization, concomitant high costs and associated adverse social

and medical implications.