ASSEMBLY AGING AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
ASSEMBLY, No. 3700
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: JANUARY 23, 2025
The Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee reports
favorably Assembly Bill No. 3700.
This bill establishes a voluntary, three-year pilot program to
provide certain pregnant Medicaid beneficiaries with remote
maternal health services, upon referral by the beneficiaries’ health
care provider. It is the intent of the bill’s sponsor to expand access
to obstetric care for pregnant patients who live in the State’s rural
communities or in medically underserved communities.
The bill provides that the Commissioner of Human Services,
based upon clinical evidence and the recommendations of experts in
the fields of obstetrics and maternal-fetal medicine, will determine
the remote services to be provided through the pilot program. At
minimum, the program will provide remote patient monitoring,
remote non-stress tests, and tele-ultrasound services for pregnant
Medicaid beneficiaries. The bill defines “remote maternal health
services” as the use of digital technology to collect medical and
health data from a pregnant patient and securely transmit this
information to a health care provider at a distant site for
interpretation and use as part of a diagnosis or a treatment plan.
“Remote patient monitoring” is defined as the use of digital
technology to collect and transmit patient health data to a healthcare
provider at a distant site for review and treatment management.
The bill stipulates that the devices and digital technologies used
to provide remote maternal health services must comply with the
requirements of the federal “Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996,” and be used in an FDA-approved
capacity.
The bill provides that State licensed physicians, certified nurse
midwives, professional midwives, or midwives may refer a
pregnant Medicaid beneficiary to the pilot program if the health
care provider determines that remote maternal health services are in
the beneficiary’s best interests; or that the beneficiary has an
increased likelihood of a high-risk pregnancy due to: pre-existing
medical conditions; age; lifestyle factors; or a diagnosed pregnancy-
related condition, such as preeclampsia.
The bill also provides that remote maternal health services will
be available to a pregnant Medicaid beneficiary whose pregnancy is
not high-risk, but who resides in a community that lacks a sufficient 2
number of health care providers who offer obstetric care and
participate in the Medicaid program. Eligibility for the pilot
program will also be extended to a pregnant Medicaid beneficiary
who is unable to access consistent obstetric care due to
socioeconomic factors, such as the beneficiary’s work schedule, a
lack of reliable transportation, or a lack of reliable child care.
Pursuant to the bill, the establishment of the remote maternal
health services pilot program is contingent upon federal approval of
the State’s Medicaid waiver application or State plan amendment, in
order to ensure federal financial participation for State Medicaid
expenditures under the federal Medicaid program.