The Office of Certificate of Need and Healthcare Facility Licensure in the Health Facilities Evaluation and Licensing Division of the Senior Services and Health Systems Branch of the Department of Health and Senior Services is proposing rulemaking to readopt without change N.J.A.C. 8:33Q.

         N.J.A.C. 8:33Q establishes certificate of need requirements for the initiation of solid organ transplantation services in order to assure the orderly development of high quality transplantation services.   The requirements in this chapter for the issuance of a certificate of need are necessary to assure the provision of high quality solid organ transplantation services that are accessible to all New Jersey residents. 

         New Jersey currently has five kidney transplantation programs (Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark; Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston; Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden; Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack; and Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center in New Brunswick).  Four of the five kidney transplantation programs also are licensed to perform pancreatic transplantation (St. Barnabas, Our Lady of Lourdes, Hackensack University Medical Center and Robert Wood Johnson).

         There are also two liver transplantation programs in New Jersey (University Hospital in Newark; Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden) and two heart transplantation programs (Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark; Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center in New Brunswick).  There is also one lung transplantation program that has received certificate of need approval but has not been licensed to date, and that will be located at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark.

         The proposal appears in the December 3, 2007 issue of the New Jersey Register.

         The public has until February 1, 2008 to comment on the proposal.  Persons wishing to comment on the proposal must submit their comments in writing to John A. Calabria, Director, Office of Certificate of Need and Healthcare Facility Licensure, New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, PO Box 358, Trenton, NJ 08625.  Written comments on the proposal must be postmarked on or before February 1, 2008, which is the close of the 60-day public comment period.