It’s been three years since New Hampshire started screening medical malpractice cases before trial, but it’s hard to say whether the new system is a success.
Doctors and their lawyers say having a special panel screen cases saves money and time by encouraging settlements and keeping meritless claims from juries. But attorneys representing injured patients say the panels aren’t working because lawyers are preparing as much for the panel hearings as they do for trials.
More than half of the malpractice lawsuits filed after the new system began were unresolved three years later. Those numbers have prompted head of the superior court system to schedule a meeting in January to discuss changing the process.