March 23, 2004

House passes medical malpractice reform bill

The House passed HB1413, "relative to the creation of mandatory panels for medical injury claims and to the testimony of expert witnesses and establishing a committee to study medical malpractice insurance rates and mandatory panels for medical injury claims."

The intent is to reduce the number of malpractice cases that actually go to trial by requiring both sides to present their cases before a screening panel. The process would also lower malpractice insurance costs.

The bill is modeled after a similar panel system in Maine, but the House version of the bill needs work in the Senate to have the full impact on premiums.

Unlike the Maine law, which makes unanimous panel findings admissable to jurors in a subsequent trial, HB 1413 allows the losing party to choose whether the jury hears the panel's ruling.

NHHA will keep you posted on the bill's progress.

Click here to see more details on the bill as it was passed.

Senate passes dental clinic bill

The Senate passed SB441, allowing health care charitable trusts to own, lease, maintain, or operate dental clinics.

As agreed to in a floor amendment, the bill places dental clinics operated by health care charitable trusts under the exemption section of the dental practice act (RSA 317-A:20, lll). Therefore, the Board of Dental Examiners only has authority over the dentists it licenses, not the clinics.

The compromise means the health care charitable trust will notify the dental board of the name and location of the dental clinic, the name of the supervising dentist, and any change of the supervising dentist.

NHHA will keep you informed of the bill's status as it moves through the House.

Click here to see the bill as it is written.


To view any of these bills, go to http://www.nhha.org/state_law/bills/bills.php.