FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky lawmakers have given final approval to a bill altering the medical malpractice system by creating panels of medical providers to review claims of error or neglect.
The bill won final passage in the Senate on Friday after senators accepted changes made by the House. The measure now goes to Gov. Matt Bevin.
Medical review panels would scrutinize the merits of lawsuits against health care providers or institutions before cases proceed to court.
Opponents say the measure will likely provoke legal action challenging its constitutionality.
The House changes included requiring review panels to issue opinions in nine months or malpractice lawsuits could proceed in court.
The original bill allowed the panel's opinions to automatically be admitted into court as evidence. Under the final version, trial judges would be asked to decide on admissibility.
