CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A new bill introduced in the West Virginia House of Delegates aims to improve medical testing for certain critically ill hospital patients.
House Bill 2789, known as the Michael Brandon Cochran Act, would require hospitals to perform specific blood tests on intensive care unit (ICU) patients who are unconscious or experiencing severe low blood sugar.
The bill comes following the conviction of former Raleigh County pharmacist Natalie Cochran who was convicted of killing her husband Michael Cochran by injecting him with insulin.
The bill, sponsored by Raleigh County Delegates Bill Roop, Jordan Maynor, and Eric Brooks, mandates that hospitals administer a C-peptide test to ICU patients with a blood glucose level of 49 mg/dl or lower.
This test measures a protein that helps determine how much insulin a person’s body is producing.
Additionally, if a patient dies after an ICU stay and exhibits symptoms like unconsciousness, seizures, or confusion, the hospital must conduct a post-mortem C-peptide test.
Hospitals that fail to comply with these requirements could face a $10,000 fine per violation, enforced by the Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification (OHFLAC).
To assist hospitals in implementing these new testing requirements, the bill also proposes the creation of the Michael Brandon Cochran Grant Program.
Administered by the Department of Health Facilities, the program would provide financial assistance to hospitals to cover the cost of C-peptide testing and staff training.
Funding for the grants would come from a newly established state fund, which could receive money from private donations, grants, and other sources.
The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Health and Human Resources where it will then move to the Judiciary Committee for further consideration.
