New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has announced new rules for physicians as part of an ongoing effort to combat sexual abuse in medical offices.
On Thursday, the state Division of Consumer Affairs emailed 67,000 New Jersey-licensed physicians about new rules adopted by the state Board of Medical Examiners aimed at improving patient safety during sensitive medical examinations.
“We are committed to ensuring patient safety and preventing sexual misconduct in medical offices across the state. Doing so is necessary to protect public welfare and uphold the integrity of New Jersey’s healthcare profession,” said Platkin in a statement. “Through our continued efforts, we are making New Jersey safer and empowering patients to protect themselves from harm.”
The rules require that physicians:
- Make sure patients are aware of their right to have an observer present during breast, pelvic, genitalia and rectal exams;
- Make sure patients, including those with limited English-proficiency, fully understand their rights before an exam begins;
- And provide observers at medical exams with information on how to report physician misconduct.
The new requirements are the latest action taken by the state to try and prevent sexual abuse in health care spaces.
Following a series of stories by NJ Advance Media about sexual offenders practicing medicine in New Jersey, elected officials passed a law in 2022 prohibiting boards that regulate health care professions from issuing licenses to people who were convicted of certain sexual crimes.
In May 2025, the state Board of Medical Examiners also adopted rules requiring physicians to complete two continuing medical education credit hours in programs or topics related to sexual misconduct prevention.
“We are using all available tools – including the regulatory powers of our licensing boards – to ensure New Jersey patients are treated with dignity and respect behind the closed doors of exam rooms,” said Elizabeth M. Harris, acting director of the Division of Consumer Affairs.
“By issuing this alert, we’re making sure that physicians statewide are aware of the new rules and what they must do to comply,” Harris said in a statement on Thursday.
NJ Advance Media staff writer Karin Price Mueller contributed to this report.