New Jersey recently adopted new rules aimed at preventing sexual misconduct during sensitive medical exams, a long-overdue step toward patient safety in a system where far too many survivors have suffered in silence. Under the updated regulations, doctors must now inform patients of their right to have a trained observer present during any breast, pelvic, genital, or rectal exam, confirm that patients understand this right before the exam begins, and provide easily accessible information on how to report misconduct. Notices must be posted in all provider locations and offered in multiple languages to ensure accessibility. These measures take effect in April 2026.
Additionally, in 2025, the State Board of Medical Examiners required physicians to complete continuing education credits focused on sexual misconduct prevention, informed consent, bystander intervention, and recognizing and reporting abuse or human trafficking.
These reforms represent a shift toward patient empowerment and accountability, signaling that New Jersey will no longer relegate the safety of patients to chance behind closed doors.
Why These Rules in New Jersey Matter
For far too long, patients, especially women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other vulnerable people, have been left with little protection when they walk into a doctor’s office for routine or sensitive care. Medical settings should be places of healing and trust, not spaces where misconduct goes unchallenged.
By requiring doctors to notify patients of their rights, allow observers, and undergo targeted training on misconduct prevention and consent, New Jersey is:
- Elevating informed consent standards
- Making it easier for patients to assert their rights
- Encouraging reporting of misconduct
- Sending a clear message to providers: patient dignity matters
These rules focus not just on punishment after the fact, but on prevention, education, and empowerment, which is exactly where the system has historically failed survivors.
Real World Lessons: Why Systemic Reform Is Needed
At Andreozzi + Foote, we’ve seen how pervasive the problem of medical professional misconduct can be. We’ve handled numerous cases against medical centers, hospitals, physicians, and health care providers where patients were harmed physically, emotionally, and psychologically, not just by individuals, but by systems that lacked accountability and transparency.
These cases often share disturbing themes:
- Survivors were silenced when they tried to speak out
- Clinics that failed to act even after red flags were reported
- Providers whose misconduct went unchecked for years
- Institutional resistance to meaningful reform
These are not isolated incidents; they reflect a systemic problem in which vulnerable patients, especially those already marginalized by trauma or medical mistrust, are left unprotected.
That is why state-level action matters. When the rules are weak or ambiguous, misconduct can continue unchecked. When patients aren’t informed of their rights or how to report abuse, predators operate in the shadows.
New Jersey’s new rules, by mandating observer options, explicit consent processes, and misconduct reporting pathways, are a meaningful step forward. But this should not be the finish line. True safety requires ongoing vigilance, enforcement, and continued reform.
Prevention, Accountability, and Civil Justice
Criminal sanctions alone do not create safe environments. Prevention, like the rules New Jersey is adopting, is critical. But for survivors who have already been harmed, civil litigation is still one of the most effective tools for accountability and change.
Why? Because civil cases:
- Provide survivors with resources for healing and recovery
- Force institutions to confront and fix systemic weaknesses
- Encourage transparency and cultural shift where silence once prevailed
- Help prevent future harm by making misconduct visible and costly
At Andreozzi + Foote, we have stood with survivors whose voices were once ignored, and we’ve held medical professionals and facilities accountable in civil court when the system failed them. Each case isn’t just about compensation; it’s about creating institutional accountability and lasting reform.
A Call to Action
New Jersey’s rules represent progress, but they are only the beginning. Patients and advocates must continue to demand:
- Clear reporting and follow-up procedures
- Mandatory training for all health care staff
- Transparency when complaints are made
- Protections for patients who report misconduct
And for survivors who have experienced inappropriate, unwanted, or abusive conduct from a medical professional, you deserve both care and justice. Civil litigation can offer not only accountability, but real support as you heal.
If You’ve Been Harmed in a Health Care Setting, We Can Help
At Andreozzi + Foote, we understand how deeply medical misconduct can affect your trust, your body, and your sense of safety. You’re not alone, and you have legal rights.
Call us at 1-800-753-5458
Let’s talk about what happened and how we can help you seek accountability, healing, and justice.