Estimating the Effect of New Jersey’s 2005 Administrative-Nurse Mandate on Mortality and Availability of Care for Hemodialysis Patients

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In 2005, New Jersey enacted a law requiring that an administrator always be present in a hemodialysis clinic and that the person may not be involved in patient-care activities at any time. In this paper, we estimate how this unique law affected the death rate and the number of hemodialysis clinics weighted by the population. We find little evidence of a measurable effect on the death rate and suggestive evidence of a drop in the number of facilities. We also find little evidence of an effect on the number of hospitalizations. Taken together, our results provide no evidence of a positive impact on the quality of dialysis service received by patients in New Jersey.