Bill No.: HB0026                  Drafter:  JWL

LSO No.:  10LSO-0049              Effective Date:  7/1/2010

Enrolled Act No.:  HEA0056

Chapter No.:

Prime Sponsor:     Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Interim Committee

Catch Title:       Medical review panel.

Subject:  Amends procedures before and admissibility of decisions by the medical review panel.

Summary/Major Elements:

• Current law requires a claimant to submit an expert's statement to the medical review panel within sixty days of submitting a claim to the panel.  This act amends that time period to sixty days after the respondent health care provider files an answer to the claim.

• Current law provides that the decision of the panel and pleadings submitted to the panel may be admitted in a subsequent court trial, in the discretion of the trial court.  This act provides that the decision of the panel, and any testimony, documents or materials incorporated into the decision, shall be admissible in court only for purposes of impeaching a witness.

• This act requires a claimant/plaintiff to report the results of subsequent litigation to the review panel within sixty days of the final disposition of the litigation.