What New Jersey outpatient facilities need to know about the new integrated license

On April 6, 2026, New Jersey replaced several outpatient licenses with one. If you run a mental health program, an addiction treatment program or an opioid treatment program in the state, here is what changed, who it covers, what it asks of your records and reporting, and what to do now.

What changed

On April 6, 2026, the Department of Health's new chapter, N.J.A.C. 8:43K, took effect. It licenses "outpatient and integrated care facilities". The old chapter for outpatient addiction treatment facilities, N.J.A.C. 10:161B, was repealed the same day.

One license can now cover primary care, mental health treatment, substance use disorder and other addiction treatment, and opioid treatment program services, or a combination of them. A full license runs for two years.

Programs licensed under 8:43K report into NJSAMS, the state's treatment data system, under the program rules of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (N.J.A.C. 10:36), which took effect the same day.

The Department wrote in its adoption notice that it will issue new licenses to providers that hold several existing licenses, and that other facilities apply to add services and receive a new license.

Who it covers

The chapter applies to any facility seeking or holding a license as an outpatient or integrated care facility for one or more of these services: primary care and reproductive health care; mental health treatment; substance use disorder and other addiction treatment; and opioid treatment program services (8:43K-1.2). The companion program rules, N.J.A.C. 10:36, apply to the behavioral health programs those facilities run for adults in an outpatient setting: outpatient and intensive outpatient addiction and mental health services, partial care, and opioid treatment programs (10:36-1.2).

What the license asks of your records

• A complete medical record for every patient, kept under written policies that protect records against loss, tampering, alteration, destruction and unauthorized use, set a period for completing a record after treatment or discharge, and cover transfers of patient information. Every entry is dated and signed or authenticated, and electronic signatures are protected (8:43K-4.7).
• A clinical treatment record for every behavioral health patient, documenting the plan of care and its revisions, how it is carried out, immediate needs, progress notes and the course of treatment (8:43K-6.8).
• Eligibility documented at admission: a DSM-5 diagnosis, clinical appropriateness for the level of care, and the patient's willingness to take part (8:43K-6.10 and 6.11).
• A care plan developed with the patient and the treatment team, signed by a credentialed team member and the patient. For outpatient services, the plan is developed within 45 days of the intake interview and reviewed at least every three months in the first year, then every six months (10:36-5.3 and 6.3).
• Confidentiality under federal and state law, including 42 CFR Part 2 for addiction treatment records and the HIPAA privacy and security rules (10:36-3.2).

What it asks of your reporting

• Report into NJSAMS and any other system DHS or DMHAS designates, on time, and take part in their required training (8:43K-4.5(b); 10:36-3.3). For programs that reported under the old chapter, this is not new; what changed is where the duty is written.
• Give the Department your numbers on request: patient visits and distinct patients by payment source, new patients accepted, and practitioners by type and credential (8:43K-4.5(a)).
• Cooperate with monitoring: audits, complaint reviews and investigations, with access to data and records (8:43K-4.5(b); 10:36-3.3).
• Run a quality assurance and performance improvement program with a coordinator, a multidisciplinary committee and a written plan reviewed every year (8:43K-4.4).

Other rules you will notice

• Your policy and procedure manual is reviewed at least every three years and more often as needed, and is available to patients, staff and the Department (8:43K-4.6, as adopted).
• Telehealth runs under written policies that say which services are offered, who provides them and when they are clinically appropriate; in-person services stay available for patients who choose or need them (8:43K-5.7).
• Naloxone: the facility keeps at least one emergency overdose reversal kit with two doses and a written protocol, and every patient with a history of opioid use receives a take-home supply of an opioid antidote, a prescription, or information on how to get one (8:43K-4.10 and 5.1).
• Opioid treatment programs hold federal certification, a DEA registration and a state registration for controlled dangerous substances, provide 24-hour emergency telephone coverage, and keep written methadone withdrawal policies within the rule's taper limits (8:43K-8.1). Before an involuntary discharge, an OTP tries to place the patient elsewhere, manages withdrawal, gives overdose education and information on reversal medication, and keeps medication going during an internal appeal (10:36-9.2).

What to do now

1. Update the rule numbers in your policies. Documents that cite N.J.A.C. 10:161B now point to a repealed chapter. The licensing rules are in 8:43K and the program rules in 10:36.
2. Ask the Department of Health about your license. The adoption notice says providers with several existing licenses are issued new ones, and facilities that add services apply and receive a new license. Ask the Department's licensing office about your own renewal date before it arrives.
3. Check your record-keeping policies against 8:43K-4.7 and 6.8: protection, completion periods, transfers, signatures.
4. Check your care-plan timeframes against 10:36-6.3, and your admission documentation against 8:43K-6.10.
5. Check your reporting: who reports into NJSAMS, on what schedule, and who attends the required training.

Questions and answers

Is my 10:161B license still valid?

10:161B was repealed on April 6, 2026. The Department wrote in its adoption notice that it will issue new licenses to providers with several existing licenses, and that other facilities apply to add services and receive a new license. Ask the Department's licensing office about your own case.

Did NJSAMS reporting start in 2026?

No. New Jersey programs reported to NJSAMS before. Since April 6, 2026, the duty is written in N.J.A.C. 10:36-3.3.

How long does a license under 8:43K last?

Two years (8:43K-2.5(c)).

Does the new license cover services for adolescents?

The program rules in N.J.A.C. 10:36 apply to behavioral health services for adults in an outpatient setting (10:36-1.2). Ask the Department about programs for younger patients.

This article describes New Jersey's rules in plain words and is not legal advice. The official text is the Department of Health's adoption notice for N.J.A.C. 8:43K (58 N.J.R. 4(1), April 6, 2026) and the DMHAS adoption notice for N.J.A.C. 10:36 (58 N.J.R. 1382(a)).