SB296 (2019) Detail

Relative to live medical testimony in courts.


CHAPTER 288

SB 296-FN - FINAL VERSION

 

03/07/2019   0649s

23May2019... 1572h

2019 SESSION

19-1075

06/04

 

SENATE BILL 296-FN

 

AN ACT relative to live medical testimony in courts.

 

SPONSORS: Sen. Hennessey, Dist 5; Sen. Soucy, Dist 18; Rep. Webb, Rock. 6

 

COMMITTEE: Judiciary

 

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AMENDED ANALYSIS

 

This bill permits certain medical and dental records and reports to be admissible in civil proceedings as evidence of the necessity of and charges for certain medical and dental services, the diagnosis and prognosis of a licensed health care provider, and certain opinions of licensed health care providers.

 

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

03/07/2019   0649s

23May2019... 1572h 19-1075

06/04

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Nineteen

 

AN ACT relative to live medical testimony in courts.

 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 

288:1  Statement of Purpose.

I.  The general court finds that:

(a)  In the trial of lawsuits alleging bodily injury, requiring live testimony from licensed health care providers adds significantly to the cost of litigation for all parties.

(b)  Introducing live medical testimony is time consuming and adds significantly to the cost to the judicial system of conducting such trials.

(c)  Requiring live medical testimony burdens licensed health care providers by taking them away from their medical practices for hours or even days at a time, reducing their ability to provide needed attention and care to their patients.

(d)  Requiring live medical testimony can strain the provider-patient relationship, possibly affecting the quality of care.  Many licensed health care providers refuse to give testimony; some refuse to treat patients for whom later testimony might be needed.

(e)  Live medical testimony is often unnecessary as the information contained within the medical provider's records and reports adequately addresses the issues to be decided.

(f)  Live medical testimony is not required, and typically is not offered, in hearings held pursuant to RSA 281-A:43 with regard to workers' compensation claims, with no ill consequences in terms of the department of labor's ability to reach fair and equitable decisions efficiently.

II.  The purpose of this act is to reduce the costs to the parties and to the judicial system, and to reduce the burdens on medical practitioners and their patients, of requiring live medical testimony in trials of tort claims seeking damages on account of bodily injury.

288:2  New Section; Competency of Witnesses; Medical and Hospital Records, Bills, and Reports; Evidence in Certain Civil Cases.  Amend RSA 516 by inserting after section 29-b the following new section:

516:29-c  Medical and Hospital Records, Bills, and Reports; Evidence in Certain Civil Cases.

I.  Except as provided in paragraph V, in any civil proceeding before a court, commission, or agency, records or reports of licensed health care providers relating to medical, dental, or hospital services, prescriptions, or orthopedic appliances rendered to or prescribed for an injured person, reports of any medical or dental examination of such injured person, and itemized bills reflecting the amounts charged for such services, prescriptions, or appliances, which are subscribed and sworn to under the penalties of perjury by the licensed health care provider, authorized agent of the hospital or health maintenance organization rendering such services, or the pharmacist or retailer of orthopedic appliances, shall be admissible, as evidence of:

(a)  The reasonable necessity of such services, treatments, or appliances, and the fair and reasonable charges for the same, provided that those matters are attested to in the record or report, or in the accompanying certification;

(b)  The diagnosis and prognosis of the licensed health care provider, provided that such diagnosis or prognosis is expressly stated by the author of the record or report;

(c)  The opinion of such licensed health care provider as to the proximate cause of the diagnosed condition, provided that such opinion is expressly stated by the author of the record or report; and

(d)  The opinion of such licensed health care provider as to disability or incapacity, if any, proximately resulting from the diagnosed condition, provided that the opinion is expressly stated by the author of the record or report.

II.  Written notice of the intention to offer such record, report, or bill as evidence, together with a copy of such report or bill, shall be given to the opposing party or parties, or to their attorneys, on or before the date established for disclosure of expert testimony pursuant to RSA 516:29-b or such other time as may be set by the court.

III.  Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the right of any party to the action or proceeding to summon, at his or her own expense, such licensed health care provider, pharmacist, retailer of orthopedic appliances, or agent of such hospital or health maintenance organization, or the records of such licensed health care provider, hospital, or health maintenance organization, for the purpose of cross-examination with respect to such record, report, or bill, or to rebut the contents thereof, or for any other purpose, nor to limit the right of any party to the action or proceeding to summon any other person to testify in respect to such record, report, or bill, or for any other purpose.

IV.  Nothing in this section shall be construed to render admissible any facts, opinions, or information that would not be admissible if testified to by a live witness.

V.  This section shall not apply to any action for medical injury as defined in RSA 507-E:1.  Nor shall this section apply to any action to recover for bodily injuries in which the plaintiff claims to have incurred medical expenses in excess of $25,000.

VI.  In this section:

(a)  "Licensed health care provider" shall include any person who is licensed to practice as such under the laws of the jurisdiction within which such services were rendered, and shall include, but not be limited to medical doctors, chiropodists, chiropractors, dentists, nurse practitioners, optometrists, osteopaths, physician assistants, physical therapists, podiatrists, psychologists, and other medical personnel.

(b)  "Hospital" means any hospital licensed under RSA 151:2, or licensed or regulated by the laws of any other state, or by the laws and regulations of the United States, including hospitals of the Veterans Administration or similar type institutions, whether incorporated or not.

(c)  "Health maintenance organization" means a public or private organization, organized under the laws of any state or the federal government which:

(1)  Provides or otherwise makes available to enrolled participants health care services, including at least the following basic health care services:  usual physician services, hospitalization, laboratory, x-ray, emergency and preventive services, and out-of-area coverage; and

(2)  Is compensated, except for co-payments, for the provision of the basic health care services listed in subparagraph (1) to enrolled participants on a predetermined periodic basis without regard to the date on which health care services are provided; a predetermined periodic basis shall be fixed without regard to the frequency, extent, or kind of health care service actually provided; and

(3)  Provides physician services primarily:

(A)  Directly through physicians who are either employees or partners of such organization;

(B)  Through arrangements with individual physicians or one or more groups of physicians organized in a group practice or individual basis; or

(C)  Through a combination of subparagraphs (A) and (B).

288:3  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect January 1, 2020.

 

Approved: July 19, 2019

Effective Date: January 01, 2020

 

 

Links


Date Body Type
Feb. 12, 2019 Senate Hearing
March 7, 2019 Senate Floor Vote
April 17, 2019 House Hearing
April 30, 2019 House Exec Session
House Floor Vote
May 23, 2019 House Floor Vote

Bill Text Revisions

SB296 Revision: 6635 Date: Dec. 4, 2019, 9:19 a.m.
SB296 Revision: 6265 Date: June 13, 2019, 2:07 p.m.
SB296 Revision: 6055 Date: June 4, 2019, 8:37 a.m.
SB296 Revision: 5488 Date: March 21, 2019, 10:58 a.m.
SB296 Revision: 5289 Date: Jan. 29, 2019, 3:07 p.m.

Docket


July 19, 2019: Signed by the Governor on 07/19/2019; Chapter 288; Effective 01/01/2020


June 27, 2019: Enrolled (In recess 06/27/2019); SJ 21


June 27, 2019: Enrolled 06/27/2019 HJ 20 P. 53


June 13, 2019: Sen. Hennessey Moved to Concur with the House Amendment, MA, VV; 06/13/2019; SJ 20


May 23, 2019: Ought to Pass with Amendment 2019-1572h: MA VV 05/23/2019 HJ 16 P. 40


May 23, 2019: Amendment # 2019-1572h: AA VV 05/23/2019 HJ 16 P. 40


May 23, 2019: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2019-1572h for 05/23/2019 (Vote 18-2; RC) HC 25 P. 10


: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2019-1572h (Vote 18-2; RC)


April 30, 2019: Executive Session: 04/30/2019 10:00 am LOB 208


April 17, 2019: Public Hearing: 04/17/2019 11:15 am LOB 208


March 20, 2019: Introduced 03/20/2019 and referred to Judiciary HJ 11 P. 71


March 7, 2019: Ought to Pass with Amendment 2019-0649s, RC 16Y-8N, MA; OT3rdg; 03/07/2019; SJ 7


March 7, 2019: Committee Amendment # 2019-0649s, AA, VV; 03/07/2019; SJ 7


March 7, 2019: Without Objection, Sen. Morse Moved the Question, MA; 03/07/2019; SJ 7


March 7, 2019: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2019-0649s, 03/07/2019; SC 12


Feb. 12, 2019: Hearing: 02/12/2019, Room 100, SH, 09:40 am; SC 10


Jan. 3, 2019: Introduced 01/03/2019 and Referred to Judiciary; SJ 4