H. B. 2649
(By Delegate Laird)
[Introduced February 4, 1999; referred to the
Committee on Government Organization.]
A BILL to amend and reenact section one, article three-c, chapter
thirty of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine
hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to making the joint
commission on accreditation of healthcare organizations a
review organization.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section one, article three-c, chapter thirty of the
code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as
amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 3C. HEALTH CARE PEER REVIEW ORGANIZATION PROTECTION.
§30-3C-1. Definitions.
As used in this article:
"Health care professionals" means individuals who are licensed to practice in any health care field under the laws of
this state.
"Peer review" means the procedure for evaluation by health
care professionals of the quality and efficiency of services
ordered or performed by other health care professionals,
including practice analysis, inpatient hospital and extended care
facility utilization review, medical audit, ambulatory care
review, and claims review.
"Professional society" includes medical, psychological,
nursing, dental, optometric, pharmaceutical, chiropractic and
podiatric organizations having as members at least a majority of
the eligible licentiates in the area or health care facility or
agency served by the particular organization.
"Review organization" means any committee or organization
engaging in peer review, including a hospital utilization review
committee, a hospital tissue committee, a medical audit
committee, a health insurance review committee, a hospital plan
corporation review committee, a professional health service plan
review committee or organization, a dental review committee, a
physicians' advisory committee, a podiatry advisory committee, a
nursing advisory committee, any committee or organization established pursuant to a medical assistance program, the joint
commission on accreditation of healthcare organizations, and any
committee established by one or more state or local professional
societies or institutes, to gather and review information
relating to the care and treatment of patients for the purposes
of: (i) Evaluating and improving the quality of health care
rendered; (ii) reducing morbidity or mortality; or (iii)
establishing and enforcing guidelines designed to keep within
reasonable bounds the cost of health care. It shall also mean
any hospital board committee, or organization reviewing the
professional qualifications or activities of its medical staff or
applicants for admission thereto, and any professional standards
review organizations established or required under state or
federal statutes or regulations.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to add the joint
commission on accreditation of healthcare organizations (JCAHO)
to the definition of peer review organization.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken
from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language
that would be added.