NURSING HOME BILL WV Bill Limiting Nursing Home Liability Advances
Reported by: Associated Press
Web Producer: Heath Harrison
Reported: Feb. 28, 2013 8:39 PM EST
Eyewitness News Photo
Charleston
, Kanawha County
, West Virginia
The West Virginia Senate is set to vote on a bill limiting the liability that nursing homes can face in potential lawsuits.
The bill would explicitly apply the state's Medical Professional Liability Act to nursing homes. That 2003 law sets a $500,000 limit on the amount of non-economic damages that medical providers can be held liable for. The bill also states that the legislature always intended for that law to cover nursing homes.
In 2011 a jury found a Charleston nursing home liable for $91 million in damages for the death of an 87-year old woman. The jury found that nursing homes were not always covered under the state's medical liability protections.
The bill unanimously passed out of committee Thursday. The Senate is expected to vote on it next week.
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