SENATE
HOUSE
JOINT
BILL STATUS
STATE LAW
REPORTS
EDUCATIONAL
CONTACT
home
home
Introduced Version House Bill 4052 History

OTHER VERSIONS  -  Committee Substitute  |     |  Email
Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted
H. B. 4052


(By Delegates Perdue, Hatfield, Boggs, Long,

Staggers, Border, Moore, Rodighiero and Yost)

[Introduced January 16, 2008; referred to the

Committee on Health and Human Resources then the Judiciary.]




A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new article, designated §16-4E-1, §16-4E-2, §16-4E-3, §16-4E-4 and §16-4E-5, all relating to development of a maternal risk assessment advisory council; providing for legislative findings; setting forth responsibilities of the advisory council; providing for legislative rule-making authority within the Bureau for Public Health to develop a uniform maternal risk screening tool and providing for applicability of the screening tool once developed.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new article, designated §16-4E-1, §16-4E-2, §16-4E-3, §16-4E-4 and §16-4E-5, all to read as follows:

ARTICLE 4E. UNIFORM MATERNAL SCREENING ACT.

§16-4E-1. Legislative findings.

The Legislature finds that there is a need for a more comprehensive and uniform approach to any screening conducted by physicians and midwives to discover at-risk and high-risk pregnancies. A uniform approach would simplify the process, standardize the procedure and better identify those pregnancies that need more in-depth care and monitoring. Additionally, a uniform application would provide better and more measurable data regarding at-risk and high-risk pregnancies. This would allow public health officials to gain a better understanding of those conditions that are most frequently observed and to develop methodology to address those concerns.

§16-4E-2. Establishment of an advisory council on maternal risk assessment.

(a) There is hereby created within the Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health, Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health, an the advisory council on maternal risk assessment to provide assistance in the development of a uniform maternal risk screening tool.
(b) The Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health is charged with convening the advisory council at least annually and providing administrative and technical assistance to the advisory council as needed. The members of the advisory council shall be appointed by the Commissioner of the Bureau for Public Health.
(c) The advisory council shall be comprised of:
(1) At least one private provider of maternity services;
(2) At least one public provider of maternity services;
(3) One representative from each of the state's three medical schools;
(4) The Commissioner of the Bureau for Public Health, or his or her designee;
(5) The Director of the Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health, or his or her designee;
(6) At least one representative of a tertiary care center; and
(7) At least one certified nurse midwife.

§16-4E-3. Responsibilities of the Advisory Council on Maternal Risk Assessment.

This advisory council shall:
(a) Advice the Bureau for Public Health, Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health with respect to the implementation of this article;
(b) Offer expert advice to the Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health on the development of a uniform risk screening tool and review the tool at least annually to offer suggested updates based upon current medical knowledge;
(b) Provided comments to the Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health on any legislative rules necessary for the accomplishment of the any requirements of this article;
(c) Develop in conjunction with the Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health a statistical matrix to measure incidents of high-risk and at-risk pregnancies for planning purposes by public health officials.
§16-4E-4. Legislative rule-making authority.
The Department of Health and Human Resources shall propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code. Such legislative rules shall include a uniform maternal risk screening tool to identify women at risk for a preterm birth or other high-risk condition.
§16-4E-5. Applicability of the screening tool.
Once developed, all health care providers offering maternity services shall be required to utilize the uniform maternal risk screening tool in their examinations of any pregnant woman. Additionally they shall notify the woman of any high-risk condition which they identify along with any necessary referral and report the results in the manner provided in the legislative rule.


NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to establish an advisory council on maternal risk assessment within the Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health and to grant legislative rule-making authority to the Bureau for Public Health to develop a uniform maternal risk screening tool to serve as an alert to medical care providers of the need for greater evaluation and assessment of high-risk pregnancies.


Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.

This bill was recommended for passage during the 2008 thousand eight legislative session by Select Committee D-Health.
This Web site is maintained by the West Virginia Legislature's Office of Reference & Information.  |  Terms of Use  |   Email WebmasterWebmaster   |   © 2024 West Virginia Legislature **


X

Print On Demand

Name:
Email:
Phone:

Print