Important Changes  Substantive change to Superior Court Rule 73(2)(d)

Date:	07/08/2020
Organization:	Superior Court
Referenced Sources:	Superior Court Rule 73: Medical malpractice cases

Important change to Superior Court Rule 73(2)(d)

Effective August 1, 2020, Rule 73(2)(d) was amended to eliminate the requirement that litigants seek case-specific lists of non-physician professionals from pertinent licensing authorities for participation in medical malpractice tribunals. Under the amended rule, if a case involves one or more physicians in addition to one or more non-physicians, a physician tribunal member will suffice for all, unless the Chief Justice of the Superior Court has approved the provision of case-specific lists from an appropriate professional association. If a case involves only one or more non-physician provider(s), the clerk will seek a tribunal member from any available list, unless the Chief Justice of the Superior Court has approved the provision of case-specific lists from an appropriate professional association. Currently, the following non-physician associations have been approved to provide case-specific lists for tribunal service:

• Massachusetts Dental Society. The contact person is: Hilda Ioanilli, Membership Operations, Massachusetts Dental Society, Two Willow St. Southborough, MA 01745, 508.449.6023, massdental.org
• National Association of Social Workers, Massachusetts Chapter, 11 Beacon St., Suite 510, Boston, MA 02108, 617.227.9635 x120 or x116, [e-mail]