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Bill

S 912

Relates to the creation of a statewide residential rental registry

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Michelle Hinchey and 6 co-sponsors

Requires prenatal care providers and maternity facilities to offer personalized postpartum plans and standardized discharge info to boost detection and reduce maternal morbidity.

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Bill Summary · S 912

Summary — S.912 (postpartum care; P.L.2024, c.89)

Note: The core text provided for S.912 addresses postpartum care (personalized postpartum plans and discharge information) and was enacted in New Jersey as P.L.2024, c.89. Some metadata in the materials references other jurisdictions and unrelated docket items; this summary focuses on the enacted postpartum-care provisions in the legislative text.

Main purpose

Require prenatal-care providers and maternity-care facilities to ensure pregnant patients have the opportunity to develop a personalized postpartum care plan and to receive standardized postpartum, pregnancy‑loss, and stillbirth information prior to discharge. The law seeks to improve early detection and management of postpartum complications and reduce preventable maternal morbidity and mortality.

Key provisions

  • Who must act

    • Health care professionals providing prenatal maternity care (physicians, advanced practice nurses, certified nurse midwives, certified professional midwives, and certified midwives).
    • Facilities providing maternity care services (general hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, birthing centers licensed under P.L.1971, c.136).

  • Personalized postpartum care plans (minimum required elements)

    1. Name, phone number, and office address of the patient’s care team.
    2. If applicable, scheduled time/date/location for postpartum visits and a phone number to schedule/reschedule.
    3. Breastfeeding guidance to support informed feeding decisions.
    4. A reproductive life plan and appropriate contraception.
    5. Notes on pregnancy complications and recommended follow‑ups or tests.
    6. Guidance on signs/symptoms of postpartum depression or anxiety.
    7. Management recommendations for psychiatric issues identified in pregnancy/postpartum.
    8. Recommendations for common postpartum physical issues (e.g., pelvic floor exercises, management of urinary incontinence, dyspareunia care).
    9. A treatment plan for ongoing physical and mental health conditions that identifies who is responsible for follow‑up.

  • Patient engagement

    • Providers must take reasonable steps to offer a postpartum planning session during the first trimester or, if not feasible, as early as possible thereafter.
    • If a patient lacks a plan or affirmatively waives developing one, the provider must educate the patient about risks of foregoing postpartum care and offer consultation to develop a plan.

  • Facility discharge information

    • Prior to discharge after the end of pregnancy, pregnancy loss, or stillbirth, maternity-care facilities must provide postpartum care information based on best practices and guidance (e.g., American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists or other nationally recognized bodies).

  • Definitions

    • “Care team” — interdisciplinary team that may include health care professionals, the patient, relatives and friends.
    • “Medical home” — primary care provider or facility maintaining the patient’s medical information and from which the patient can access primary/preventive care.

Implementation timeline

  • The act takes effect 180 days after enactment. The enrolled law (P.L.2024, c.89) was approved Nov 18, 2024 — making the effective date approximately May 17, 2025 (180 days later).

Who is affected

  • Pregnant patients (including those experiencing pregnancy loss or stillbirth).
  • Prenatal care providers and certified midwives.
  • Hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, and birthing centers that provide maternity services.
  • Implicitly, primary‑care providers designated as a medical home.

Expected impact

  • Aims to increase postpartum care uptake, improve early recognition/management of postpartum complications (bleeding, infection, psychiatric conditions), and address disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality by standardizing planning and discharge education. The law mandates processes but does not specify dedicated funding or detailed enforcement mechanisms in the text.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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