Bill > H1997

This bill amends existing Massachusetts law to provide protections for sports medicine professionals who are providing services in the state but are licensed elsewhere. Specifically, it removes a previous restriction that limited these protections to services provided to athletes or team personnel at events sponsored by the United States Olympic Committee or World Cup Organizing Committee. The bill then introduces new definitions for terms like "athlete," "athletic team," "covered medical services" (which include general medical care, emergency care, and athletic training, but exclude care at a health care facility or during transport to one), and "covered sports medicine professional" (defined as a physician or athletic trainer licensed in another state who provides these services under a written agreement and has disclosed their services to their liability insurer). The core provision states that if a covered sports medicine professional provides covered medical services to an athlete, athletic team, or staff member in Massachusetts, those services will be considered to have been provided in the state where the professional is licensed, for the purposes of determining their medical professional liability insurance and any civil or criminal malpractice liability. This aims to ensure that out-of-state sports medicine professionals can provide care at events in Massachusetts without facing undue liability concerns in the state where they are not licensed.