CHARLESTON -- A proposal to create an office to coordinate health reform efforts across the state is still alive in the West Virginia Legislature.

"Health reform has been tried a number of times. It fails because one agency is not talking to another, because the vision somewhere gets lost in the process," said Delegate Don Perdue, D-Wayne.

Senate Bill 414, in its second reading in the House on Friday, aims to get rid of agencies with few responsibilities and create a single office for reform.

"Health care has become so costly and so difficult to manage," Perdue said. "We need a strategic plan and we need a leader for this plan."

Senate Bill 414 would create GOHELP, or the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning. The bill would transfer the powers and duties of the Pharmaceutical Cost Management Council to the new office, develop a five-year plan, and coordinate the Public Employees Insurance Agency, the Children's Health Insurance Program, the Department of Health and Human Resources, state colleges and universities, public hospitals, and others.

"This office will have a full-time responsibility for managing health care in the state of West Virginia in a more efficient and a less costly way," Perdue said.

Sen. Evan Jenkins, D-Cabell, is a sponsor of the bill alongside leaders such as Sen. Roman Prezioso, D-Marion, and others.

"We have a disjointed process now with a number of individuals heading up different state agencies," Jenkins said. "We have seen that there is a need to coordinate better."

Jenkins said the bill is one of the most important parts of a seven-part package originally proposed by Select Committee D on Health. While proposals to raise the cigarette tax by 65 cents and require restaurant chains to post calorie counts have died, Senate Bill 414 is a broader initiative that Jenkins expects to return to the Senate for action today.

However, Jenkins said coordinating many health activities in one place must be done carefully.

"If we head down the road of empowering one person to head up many aspects of our health care delivery system, who that individual is, making sure that they are most qualified, will be very important," he said.

The bill also establishes pilot projects for patient-centered "medical homes," an effort that would shift more focus onto preventive care. In the pilot projects, patients will be cared for by a physician who leads a multidisciplinary team of nurses, behavioral health providers, pharmacists, social workers and others.

Perdue said implementing patient-centered medical homes could take several years, but pilot projects could begin within the year.

In other health-related legislation, legislators this week passed Senate Bill 672, the Mental Health Stabilization Act of 2009. The bill is intended to rebuild West Virginia's community-based mental health system, increasing reimbursement rates in mental health service codes and requiring periodic reports to the Legislature.

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