Bill > H1578

This bill proposes several changes to patient safety, medical error reporting, and medical malpractice laws in Massachusetts. Key provisions include: 1. Expanding the definition of "medical peer review committee" to include committees formed by individual healthcare providers, physician groups, or licensed facilities to evaluate quality of care, provider competence, and assist impaired providers. 2. Applying medical peer review protections to these expanded committee types, even if not required by law or regulation. 3. Clarifying that offering expert testimony in medical malpractice cases constitutes the practice of medicine. 4. Requiring insurers to report annually on top categories of losses, claims, and actions related to medical errors or negligence, to help the Betsy Lehman Center develop best practices for error prevention. 5. Modifying the rules for periodic payment of future damages in medical malpractice cases and the calculation of interest on awarded damages. 6. Establishing several liability, rather than joint liability, for healthcare providers in medical malpractice cases.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/H1578