Bill > HB2795

This bill proposes to amend West Virginia law to allow parties in a civil action to request and obtain medical records and medical billing records, which are defined as documents related to a patient's health or payment for healthcare, from other parties without needing a court order, provided the health condition is relevant to the case. The process involves serving a request for a signed medical release, which the receiving party must provide within thirty days unless they object, and the requesting party must share copies of obtained records with the party whose records were sought. All obtained medical records are to be treated as confidential by opposing parties, their representatives, and insurance carriers, with specific provisions for their handling by insurance companies and limitations on sharing them with third parties without consent, while also clarifying that this does not override existing discovery rules or the right to object to the production of records.