Bill > H1979

This bill mandates that the Board of Registration in Medicine (the board responsible for licensing and regulating medical professionals) collect and report comprehensive data on medical malpractice insurance claims, settlements, and judgments. Specifically, the board will annually publish a report detailing this information, categorized by medical specialty and hospital service line, with hospital service lines to be defined in consultation with the commissioner of public health. This report will include data on claims alleging errors in emergency departments, nursing services, slips and falls, and misdiagnoses, and will classify claims by the type of healthcare facility and medical office. The report will also track the average and median time cases remain open from filing to resolution, and the total costs associated with each claim, including settlements, judgments, and defense expenses. While the report will cover all physicians and hospitals in the Commonwealth, it will not identify individual medical professionals, patients, or those filing claims. Furthermore, medical malpractice insurers and risk management organizations operating in the Commonwealth will be required to submit any information the board deems necessary for this annual report. The board will have 45 days after the bill's effective date to establish regulations for collecting this information.