4. a. The commissioner, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, shall designate and delineate the boundaries of regions of the State that are in need of new Regional Health Hubs within six months of the effective date of this act.

b. The commissioner’s designation and delineation of prospective service regions for new Regional Health Hubs shall be based on the following factors:

(1) the availability of State and federal funding necessary to support the new Regional Health Hub, and the State’s ability to provide necessary funding;

(2) the number and density of Medicaid beneficiaries in the region;

(3) the existence, in the region, of multiple health and social service systems of care that are in need of convening and coordination; and

(4) the volume, in the region, of avoidable inpatient hospital admissions and emergency department visits.

c. Based on the analysis of factors identified in subsection b. of this section, the commissioner may designate any county, zip code, or group of zip codes in the State as a prospective service region. The boundaries of any prospective service region designated under this section shall not overlap with any portion of a core region served by another Regional Health Hub.

d. Once an area has been designated by the commissioner as a prospective service region, the commissioner shall evaluate organizations for designation as the new Regional Health Hub for the prospective service region. The commissioner shall only designate an organization as a new Regional Health Hub if the organization:

(1) is a registered New Jersey non-profit organization exempt from federal taxation under 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)3;

(2) submits a request identifying the proposed boundaries of the Regional Health Hub’s anticipated core region, which boundaries shall include the total area of a prospective service region designated by the commissioner, and shall not include any area that is already included in another Regional Health Hub’s core region;

(3) submits a request identifying the proposed boundaries of the Regional Health Hub’s anticipated data catchment area; and

(4) demonstrates, to the commissioner’s satisfaction, the ability to perform the mandatory functions of a Regional Health Hub, as described in subsection a. of section 6 of this act.

e. Within 180 days after an organization is approved to operate as a Regional Health Hub, the organization shall:

(1) establish and maintain a headquarters within the boundaries of the core region;

(2) establish and convene an advisory committee of persons who reside or work in the core region, which committee shall include community members and representatives from organizations that exemplify the diversity of geography, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, veterans’ status, and prevalent health conditions in the core region. The following types of persons may be included in an advisory committee established under this paragraph: (a) community members having lived experience with the health care system; (b) Medicaid beneficiaries; (c) representatives from school districts; (d) representatives of local government; (e) representatives of housing organizations; and (f) representatives of the faith-based community; and

(3) establish and convene a governing board that includes members from a majority of the following groups and entities, to the extent that such groups and entities are present in the core region: (a) hospitals or hospital systems; (b) Federally Qualified Health Centers; (c) private clinicians, including physicians and nurses; (d) community-based organizations such as behavioral health providers and social service agencies; (e) managed care organizations; (f) the advisory committee established pursuant to paragraph (2) of this subsection; and (g) health care consumers.

f. If more than one organization meets the criteria for designation as a Regional Health Hub in a prospective service region, the commissioner, in the commissioner’s discretion, shall designate the organization that the commissioner determines will be best able to meet the needs of, and fulfill the purposes of this act within, the prospective service region.

g. Before designating a Regional Health Hub under this section, the commissioner shall review each of the boundary requests submitted by the organization under paragraph (2) of subsection d. of this section, and shall either approve the requests, as submitted by the organization, or require the organizationto make appropriate modifications to the boundary requests as a precondition to their approval. If a boundary request cannot be modified as necessary to comply with the provisions of this act, the commissioner may select another organization to serve as the Regional Health Hub in the proposed service region.

h. A designated Regional Health Hub may submit an application to the commissioner, at any time, requesting the expansion of its core region. The commissioner may approve the requested expansion if:

(1) the boundaries of the expanded core region will not overlap with the core region of another Regional Health Hub;

(2) the area would otherwise qualify for designation as a prospective service region under subsection b. of this section; and

(3) the applicant demonstrates, to the commissioner’s satisfaction, the applicant’s ability to perform, in the requested expansion area, and within one year following submission of the application, the mandatory activities of a Regional Health Hub, as described in subsection a. of section 6 of this act.

L.2019, c.517, s.4.