§16-29H-4. Director of the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning; powers and duties, hiring of staff. (a) The director has the power and authority to:
(1) Purchase or enter into contracts or agreements as necessary to achieve the purposes of this article;
(2) File suit;
(3) At the request of a state agency that has responsibility for any aspect of West Virginia's health care system, evaluate and advise the agency on ways that can better achieve the purposes of this article. In addition, the director may determine in collaboration with the agencies responsible for health systems in the state to improve efficiencies and reduce costs through interagency agreements to enter into contracts. Contracts may only be renegotiated if there is a demonstrated and measurable cost savings for the state and the agencies are in agreement;
(4) Enter into contracts with public or private entities in this state, governments of other states and jurisdictions and their individual departments, agencies, authorities, institutions, programs, quasi-public corporations and political subdivisions in the event that such contracts would be a collaboration between the health system agencies involved and agreed to by all parties.
(5) Participate in regional or multistate purchasing alliances or consortia, formed for the purpose of pooling the combined purchasing power of the individual members and increasing purchasing power with agreement of all participating parties and financially advantageous to each party. This power does not affect individual state agencies from participating in any purchasing alliance or consortium as established in their own program. If the director participates in any cooperative purchasing agreement, alliance or consortium which is comprised of at least five million covered lives, the cooperative purchasing agreement, alliance or consortium may employ an agreed-upon pricing schedule that, in the judgment of the director and the other participating entities, will maximize savings to the broadest percentage of the population of this state: Provided, That any pharmaceutical manufacturer that deals with such cooperative purchasing agreements, alliances or consortia may request a waiver from such pricing schedule in West Virginia or any other participating state for a particular drug that should be granted if the director finds that the development, production, distribution costs, other reasonable costs and reasonable profits excluding marketing, advertising and promotional costs not essential to bringing the product to market are more than the schedule price of the pharmaceutical or in those cases in which the pharmaceutical in question has a sole source. The director shall determine fees to be paid by the applicant at the time of the waiver application and proof required to be submitted at the time of the waiver request to support the validity of the request.
(6) Make recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature regarding strategies that could more effectively make the health care delivery system in West Virginia more timely, more patient centered, provide greater patient access and quality of service and control health care costs;
(7) Develop and implement other programs, projects and initiatives to achieve the purposes of this article, including initiating, evaluating and promoting primary-care medical homes pursuant to section six of this article and other strategies that result in greater access to health care, assure greater quality of care and result in reduced costs for health care delivery services to the citizens of West Virginia: Provided, That interagency agreements shall be utilized for services that would be duplicative;
(8) Work with the Health Care Authority to ensure that the preventive health care pilots are implementing a primary-care medical home model as defined in this article;
(9) Develop a five-year strategic plan as set forth in section six of this article for implementation of West Virginia's health care system reform initiatives together with recommendations for administration, policy, legislative rules or legislation. This plan shall be reported to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance, the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability and the Governor on or before December 31, 2009;
(10) Provide professional development on emerging health care policies and contracting for health care services; and
(11) Evaluate and offer, if resources become available, a grant program for local communities to encourage healthy lifestyles in collaboration with the Healthy Lifestyles Coalition.
(b) The director shall employ such professional, clerical, technical and administrative personnel as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this article and with consideration of the appropriation provided by the Legislature.
(c) The director shall prepare and submit to the Governor and the Legislature annual proposed appropriations for the next fiscal year which shall include sums necessary to support the activities of the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning.
(d) The director shall submit an annual report separate from the strategic plan by January 1 of each year to the Governor and the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability on the condition, operation and functioning of the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning.
(e) The director shall supervise the fiscal management and responsibilities of the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning.
(f) The director shall keep an accurate and complete record of all the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning proceedings, records and file all bonds and contracts and assume responsibility for the custody and preservation of all papers and records of the office.
(g) The director may convene a series of focus groups, polls and any other available research tool to determine issues of importance to all stakeholders after a thorough review of available research currently in existence. The development of these survey tools shall be done in conjunction with employers, health care providers and consumers. Data received from this research should be easily available to the public and utilized in the development and design of health benefit programs. The data should also be accessible to providers to allow them to meet the needs of the health care market.
(h) The director may propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to accomplish the goals and purposes of this article.
§16-29H-4. Director of the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning; powers and duties, hiring of staff. (a) The director has the power and authority to:
(1) Purchase or enter into contracts or agreements as necessary to achieve the purposes of this article;
(2) File suit;
(3) At the request of a state agency that has responsibility for any aspect of West Virginia's health care system, evaluate and advise the agency on ways that can better achieve the purposes of this article. In addition, the director may determine in collaboration with the agencies responsible for health systems in the state to improve efficiencies and reduce costs through interagency agreements to enter into contracts. Contracts may only be renegotiated if there is a demonstrated and measurable cost savings for the state and the agencies are in agreement;
(4) Enter into contracts with public or private entities in this state, governments of other states and jurisdictions and their individual departments, agencies, authorities, institutions, programs, quasi-public corporations and political subdivisions in the event that such contracts would be a collaboration between the health system agencies involved and agreed to by all parties.
(5) Participate in regional or multistate purchasing alliances or consortia, formed for the purpose of pooling the combined purchasing power of the individual members and increasing purchasing power with agreement of all participating parties and financially advantageous to each party. This power does not affect individual state agencies from participating in any purchasing alliance or consortium as established in their own program. If the director participates in any cooperative purchasing agreement, alliance or consortium which is comprised of at least five million covered lives, the cooperative purchasing agreement, alliance or consortium may employ an agreed-upon pricing schedule that, in the judgment of the director and the other participating entities, will maximize savings to the broadest percentage of the population of this state: Provided, That any pharmaceutical manufacturer that deals with such cooperative purchasing agreements, alliances or consortia may request a waiver from such pricing schedule in West Virginia or any other participating state for a particular drug that should be granted if the director finds that the development, production, distribution costs, other reasonable costs and reasonable profits excluding marketing, advertising and promotional costs not essential to bringing the product to market are more than the schedule price of the pharmaceutical or in those cases in which the pharmaceutical in question has a sole source. The director shall determine fees to be paid by the applicant at the time of the waiver application and proof required to be submitted at the time of the waiver request to support the validity of the request.
(6) Make recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature regarding strategies that could more effectively make the health care delivery system in West Virginia more timely, more patient centered, provide greater patient access and quality of service and control health care costs;
(7) Develop and implement other programs, projects and initiatives to achieve the purposes of this article, including initiating, evaluating and promoting primary-care medical homes pursuant to section six of this article and other strategies that result in greater access to health care, assure greater quality of care and result in reduced costs for health care delivery services to the citizens of West Virginia: Provided, That interagency agreements shall be utilized for services that would be duplicative;
(8) Work with the Health Care Authority to ensure that the preventive health care pilots are implementing a primary-care medical home model as defined in this article;
(9) Develop a five-year strategic plan as set forth in section six of this article for implementation of West Virginia's health care system reform initiatives together with recommendations for administration, policy, legislative rules or legislation. This plan shall be reported to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance, the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability and the Governor on or before December 31, 2009;
(10) Provide professional development on emerging health care policies and contracting for health care services; and
(11) Evaluate and offer, if resources become available, a grant program for local communities to encourage healthy lifestyles in collaboration with the Healthy Lifestyles Coalition.
(b) The director shall employ such professional, clerical, technical and administrative personnel as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this article and with consideration of the appropriation provided by the Legislature.
(c) The director shall prepare and submit to the Governor and the Legislature annual proposed appropriations for the next fiscal year which shall include sums necessary to support the activities of the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning.
(d) The director shall submit an annual report separate from the strategic plan by January 1 of each year to the Governor and the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability on the condition, operation and functioning of the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning.
(e) The director shall supervise the fiscal management and responsibilities of the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning.
(f) The director shall keep an accurate and complete record of all the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning proceedings, records and file all bonds and contracts and assume responsibility for the custody and preservation of all papers and records of the office.
(g) The director may convene a series of focus groups, polls and any other available research tool to determine issues of importance to all stakeholders after a thorough review of available research currently in existence. The development of these survey tools shall be done in conjunction with employers, health care providers and consumers. Data received from this research should be easily available to the public and utilized in the development and design of health benefit programs. The data should also be accessible to providers to allow them to meet the needs of the health care market.
(h) The director may propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to accomplish the goals and purposes of this article.
§16-29H-4. Director of the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning; powers and duties, hiring of staff. (a) The director has the power and authority to:
(1) Purchase or enter into contracts or agreements as necessary to achieve the purposes of this article;
(2) File suit;
(3) At the request of a state agency that has responsibility for any aspect of West Virginia's health care system, evaluate and advise the agency on ways that can better achieve the purposes of this article. In addition, the director may determine in collaboration with the agencies responsible for health systems in the state to improve efficiencies and reduce costs through interagency agreements to enter into contracts. Contracts may only be renegotiated if there is a demonstrated and measurable cost savings for the state and the agencies are in agreement;
(4) Enter into contracts with public or private entities in this state, governments of other states and jurisdictions and their individual departments, agencies, authorities, institutions, programs, quasi-public corporations and political subdivisions in the event that such contracts would be a collaboration between the health system agencies involved and agreed to by all parties.
(5) Participate in regional or multistate purchasing alliances or consortia, formed for the purpose of pooling the combined purchasing power of the individual members and increasing purchasing power with agreement of all participating parties and financially advantageous to each party. This power does not affect individual state agencies from participating in any purchasing alliance or consortium as established in their own program. If the director participates in any cooperative purchasing agreement, alliance or consortium which is comprised of at least five million covered lives, the cooperative purchasing agreement, alliance or consortium may employ an agreed-upon pricing schedule that, in the judgment of the director and the other participating entities, will maximize savings to the broadest percentage of the population of this state: Provided, That any pharmaceutical manufacturer that deals with such cooperative purchasing agreements, alliances or consortia may request a waiver from such pricing schedule in West Virginia or any other participating state for a particular drug that should be granted if the director finds that the development, production, distribution costs, other reasonable costs and reasonable profits excluding marketing, advertising and promotional costs not essential to bringing the product to market are more than the schedule price of the pharmaceutical or in those cases in which the pharmaceutical in question has a sole source. The director shall determine fees to be paid by the applicant at the time of the waiver application and proof required to be submitted at the time of the waiver request to support the validity of the request.
(6) Make recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature regarding strategies that could more effectively make the health care delivery system in West Virginia more timely, more patient centered, provide greater patient access and quality of service and control health care costs;
(7) Develop and implement other programs, projects and initiatives to achieve the purposes of this article, including initiating, evaluating and promoting primary-care medical homes pursuant to section six of this article and other strategies that result in greater access to health care, assure greater quality of care and result in reduced costs for health care delivery services to the citizens of West Virginia: Provided, That interagency agreements shall be utilized for services that would be duplicative;
(8) Work with the Health Care Authority to ensure that the preventive health care pilots are implementing a primary-care medical home model as defined in this article;
(9) Develop a five-year strategic plan as set forth in section six of this article for implementation of West Virginia's health care system reform initiatives together with recommendations for administration, policy, legislative rules or legislation. This plan shall be reported to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance, the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability and the Governor on or before December 31, 2009;
(10) Provide professional development on emerging health care policies and contracting for health care services; and
(11) Evaluate and offer, if resources become available, a grant program for local communities to encourage healthy lifestyles in collaboration with the Healthy Lifestyles Coalition.
(b) The director shall employ such professional, clerical, technical and administrative personnel as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this article and with consideration of the appropriation provided by the Legislature.
(c) The director shall prepare and submit to the Governor and the Legislature annual proposed appropriations for the next fiscal year which shall include sums necessary to support the activities of the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning.
(d) The director shall submit an annual report separate from the strategic plan by January 1 of each year to the Governor and the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability on the condition, operation and functioning of the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning.
(e) The director shall supervise the fiscal management and responsibilities of the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning.
(f) The director shall keep an accurate and complete record of all the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning proceedings, records and file all bonds and contracts and assume responsibility for the custody and preservation of all papers and records of the office.
(g) The director may convene a series of focus groups, polls and any other available research tool to determine issues of importance to all stakeholders after a thorough review of available research currently in existence. The development of these survey tools shall be done in conjunction with employers, health care providers and consumers. Data received from this research should be easily available to the public and utilized in the development and design of health benefit programs. The data should also be accessible to providers to allow them to meet the needs of the health care market.
(h) The director may propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to accomplish the goals and purposes of this article.
