By OPEN MINDS Circle
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) plans to create a single, integrated license for outpatient health care facilities that will allow the license holders to deliver integrated primary care, mental health, and addiction treatment services, as described in a new proposed rule. NJDOH anticipates that the integrated license will enable delivery of comprehensive, whole-person care, leading to improved health outcomes and a better consumer experience. Currently, provider organizations seeking to provide integrated care, primary care, and behavioral health care must provide three separate licenses and comply with separate regulatory requirements.
On April 21, 2025, the Proposed Rule: Licensure Of Outpatient & Integrated Care Facilities was published in the New Jersey Register and is now open for a 60-day public comment period. After the comment period ends, NJDOH will respond to the comments before publishing the final rule.
The proposed integrated license is expected to benefit several outpatient facility types, including Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), outpatient mental health and addiction disorder providers, and licensed primary care clinics. To reduce the regulatory burden on organizations seeking to provide integrated care, the state has previously issued waivers to the licensing rules.
The key improvements include:
- Allowing facilities to maintain unified medical records for consumers
- Eliminating requirements for separate physical spaces and entrances
- Enabling shared treatment spaces and infrastructure
- Permitting provider organizations to offer “adjunctive services” such as wound care and preventive care without requiring full licensure for each service type
- Expanding access to withdrawal management services and medications for addiction treatment, such as buprenorphine
- Enabling qualified physicians to deliver reproductive health services without unnecessary barriers and eliminating the requirement of a staff obstetrician/gynecologist to provide essential care
- Allowing integration of counseling and therapy into primary care without full behavioral health licensure
A link to the full text of the NJDOH Proposed Rule: Licensure Of Outpatient & Integrated Care Facilities is in the OPEN MINDS Circle Library at https://openminds.com/market-intelligence/resources/042125njproposedruleintegratedlicense/.
For more information, contact: Dalya Ewais, Director of Communications, New Jersey Department of Health, Post Office Box 360, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0360; Email: Dalya.Ewais@doh.nj.gov; Website: https://www.nj.gov/health/