West Virginia House Bill HB2672

West Virginia 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/20/25
• Refer: 2/20/25

Caption

Requiring all hospitals and medical offices to send a notice to all former or current patients when they turn 18, informing them that if they have had any negative or adverse side effects of a procedure that was performed on them as a child to contact the hospital or office to inform them of the issue

Summary

HB2672 would require the West Virginia Board of Medicine to adopt rules, in cooperation with hospitals and health care facilities, that direct notices to be sent to current or former patients who were under 18 when they received a medical or surgical procedure. The notice would tell those individuals, once they reach age 18, to contact the provider if they experience any negative or adverse effects from the procedure. The bill is framed as a patient-notification measure rather than a direct change to medical treatment standards. It would add a new administrative duty for the Board of Medicine and, through rulemaking, would place compliance obligations on hospitals, medical offices, and other entities providing services to minors. The bill does not create a private right of action or specify penalties in the text provided, but it would expand the board’s regulatory role over notice procedures tied to childhood medical care.

Impact

HB2672 would amend §30-3-7 of the West Virginia Code, which governs the powers and duties of the Board of Medicine, by adding a requirement that the board promulgate rules for post-majority notices to former child patients. The practical effect would be to impose a new notice obligation on health care providers and facilities for procedures performed on minors, likely requiring record review, patient tracking, and outreach when patients turn 18. It would affect the Board of Medicine, hospitals, health care facilities, medical offices, and patients who received care as children.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears to be presented as a consumer- and patient-information bill, with an emphasis on ensuring that people who were treated as minors are informed of how to report later adverse effects. No committee transcripts or votes were provided, so there is no recorded debate or roll-call history to indicate broader legislative support or opposition. The available context suggests a neutral-to-supportive framing centered on notice and follow-up rather than controversy in the record provided.

Contention

The main likely point of contention is the administrative burden on hospitals, medical offices, and the Board of Medicine, since the bill would require identifying former minor patients and sending notices years after treatment. Another possible issue is the breadth and ambiguity of the phrase “negative or adverse effects,” which could raise questions about what conditions trigger notice and what providers are expected to do after a patient responds. Because no committee discussion or votes are included, no specific lawmakers, groups, or formal objections are documented in the provided materials.