Committee adds one-time nutrition CME option and reports HB 4951

House Bill 4951, which would require continuing medical education in nutrition for licensees of the West Virginia Board of Medicine and the West Virginia Osteopathic Board, was amended in committee to narrow the ongoing burden on physicians.

Counsel told the committee the bill ties nutrition training to the rural health transformation program and does not add overall CME hours but requires some portion of the existing credits be satisfied with nutrition topics; there is no fiscal note. Mark Spangler, executive director of the West Virginia Board of Medicine, explained the board’s continuing education framework: physicians must complete 50 CME units every two years, 30 of which must be within their specialty, leaving room for nutrition training within the non‑specialty hours.

Senator from the Seventeenth proposed an amendment to require that every licensee complete one nutrition CME upon initial licensure or at renewal (within 12 months of new licensure) and allow the board to set any further nutrition requirements by rule. Proponents said the change would secure points in the rural health transformation grant scoring (the sponsor cited an approximately $199 million award to the state) without mandating indefinite, biennial nutrition training for all physicians. Opponents raised concerns that drafting the statute too broadly could limit the board’s rulemaking flexibility; supporters argued the amendment preserves the program scoring while giving the board authority to extend requirements if necessary.

The committee adopted the senator’s amendment on a voice vote and then voted to report HB 4951 to the full Senate with recommendation that it do pass as amended.

Next steps: HB 4951 was reported to the full Senate; rulemaking by the boards is anticipated to specify timing and approved providers for nutrition CME.