WEST virginia
legislature
2017 regular session
By
[
to the Committee on Health and Human Resources then the Judiciary.
A BILL to amend and
reenact §55-7B-2 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to
adding pharmacy to the definition of "health
care provider" as used in the
Medical Professional Liability Act.
Be it enacted by the
Legislature of West Virginia:
That §55-7B-2 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as
amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 7B. MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY.
§55-7B-2.
Definitions.
(a)
“Board” means the State Board of Risk and Insurance Management.
(b)
“Collateral source” means a source of benefits or advantages for economic loss
that the claimant has received from:
(1)
Any federal or state act, public program or insurance which provides payments
for medical expenses, disability benefits, including workers’ compensation
benefits, or other similar benefits.
Benefits payable under the Social Security Act and Medicare are not
considered payments from collateral sources except for Social Security
disability benefits directly attributable to the medical injury in question;
(2)
Any contract or agreement of any group, organization, partnership or
corporation to provide, pay for or reimburse the cost of medical, hospital,
dental, nursing, rehabilitation, therapy or other health care services or
provide similar benefits, but excluding any amount that a group, organization,
partnership, corporation or health care provider agrees to reduce, discount or
write off of a medical bill;
(3)
Any group accident, sickness or income disability insurance, any casualty or
property insurance, including automobile and homeowners’ insurance, which
provides medical benefits, income replacement or disability coverage, or any
other similar insurance benefits, except life insurance, to the extent that
someone other than the insured, including the insured's employer, has paid all
or part of the premium or made an economic contribution on behalf of the
plaintiff; or
(4)
Any contractual or voluntary wage continuation plan provided by an employer or
otherwise or any other system intended to provide wages during a period of
disability.
(c)
“Consumer Price Index” means the most recent Consumer Price Index for All
Consumers published by the United States Department of Labor.
(d)
“Emergency condition” means any acute traumatic injury or acute medical
condition which, according to standardized criteria for triage, involves a
significant risk of death or the precipitation of significant complications or
disabilities, impairment of bodily functions or, with respect to a pregnant
woman, a significant risk to the health of the unborn child.
(e)
“Health care” means:
(1)
Any act, service or treatment provided under, pursuant to or in the furtherance
of a physician's plan of care, a health care facility's plan of care, medical
diagnosis or treatment;
(2)
Any act, service or treatment performed or furnished, or which should have been
performed or furnished, by any health care provider or person supervised by or
acting under the direction of a health care provider or licensed professional
for, to or on behalf of a patient during the patient's medical care, treatment
or confinement, including, but not limited to, staffing, medical transport,
custodial care or basic care, infection control, positioning, hydration,
nutrition and similar patient services; and
(3)
The process employed by health care providers and health care facilities for
the appointment, employment, contracting, credentialing, privileging and
supervision of health care providers.
(f)
“Health care facility” means any clinic, hospital, pharmacy, nursing home,
assisted living facility, residential care community, end-stage renal disease
facility, home health agency, child welfare agency, group residential facility,
behavioral health care facility or comprehensive community mental health
center, intellectual/developmental disability center or program, or other
ambulatory health care facility, in and licensed, regulated or certified by the
State of West Virginia under state or federal law and any state-operated
institution or clinic providing health care and any related entity to the
health care facility.
(g)
“Health care provider” means a person, partnership, corporation, professional
limited liability company, health care facility, entity or institution licensed
by, or certified in, this state or another state, to provide health care or
professional health care services, including, but not limited to, a physician,
osteopathic physician, physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse,
hospital, health care facility, dentist, registered or licensed practical
nurse, optometrist, podiatrist, chiropractor, physical therapist,
speech-language pathologist,
audiologist, occupational therapist, psychologist, pharmacist, pharmacy, technician, certified nursing assistant, emergency medical
service personnel, emergency medical services authority or agency, any person
supervised by or acting under the direction of a licensed professional, any
person taking actions or providing service or treatment pursuant to or in
furtherance of a physician's plan of care, a health care facility’s plan of
care, medical diagnosis or treatment; or an officer, employee or agent of a
health care provider acting in the course and scope of the officer's,
employee's or agent's employment.
(h)
“Medical injury” means injury or death to a patient arising or resulting from
the rendering of or failure to render health care.
(i)
“Medical professional liability” means any liability for damages resulting from
the death or injury of a person for any tort or breach of contract based on
health care services rendered, or which should have been rendered, by a health
care provider or health care facility to a patient. It also means other claims
that may be contemporaneous to or related to the alleged tort or breach of
contract or otherwise provided, all in the context of rendering health care
services.
(j)
“Medical professional liability insurance” means a contract of insurance or any
actuarially sound self-funding program that pays for the legal liability of a
health care facility or health care provider arising from a claim of medical
professional liability. In order to
qualify as medical professional liability insurance for purposes of this
article, a self-funding program for an individual physician must meet the
requirements and minimum standards set forth in section twelve of this article.
(k)
“Noneconomic loss” means losses, including, but not limited to, pain,
suffering, mental anguish and grief.
(l)
“Patient” means a natural person who receives or should have received health
care from a licensed health care provider under a contract, expressed or
implied.
(m)
“Plaintiff” means a patient or representative of a patient who brings an action
for medical professional liability under this article.
(n)
“Related entity” means any corporation, foundation, partnership, joint venture,
professional limited liability company, limited liability company, trust,
affiliate or other entity under common control or ownership, whether directly
or indirectly, partially or completely, legally, beneficially or constructively,
with a health care provider or health care facility; or which owns directly,
indirectly, beneficially or constructively any part of a health care provider
or health care facility.
(o)
“Representative” means the spouse, parent, guardian, trustee, attorney or other
legal agent of another.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is
to include pharmacies in the definition of health care provider related to the
Medical Professional Liability Act.
Strike-throughs indicate language
that would be stricken from a heading or the present law, and underscoring
indicates new language that would be added.