HOUSE BILL 317
50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2012
INTRODUCED BY
Thomas C. Taylor
AN ACT
RELATING TO MEDICAL MALPRACTICE; ENACTING THE HOSPITAL LIABILITY ACT; PROVIDING LIABILITY LIMITS FOR CERTAIN MALPRACTICE CLAIMS AGAINST HOSPITALS, HOSPITAL SYSTEMS AND AMBULANCE SERVICE PROVIDERS.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.--This act may be cited as the "Hospital Liability Act".
SECTION 2. PURPOSE.--The purpose of the Hospital Liability Act is to promote the health and welfare of the people of New Mexico and to assist hospitals, hospital systems and ambulance service systems providing care in New Mexico in the control of health care costs by establishing maximum monetary limits for malpractice liability for non-economic and punitive damages.
SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Hospital
Liability Act:
A. "ambulance service" means a specialized carrier based within the state authorized under provisions and subject to limitations as provided in individual carrier certificates issued by the public regulation commission to transport persons alive, dead or dying;
B. "hospital health care provider" means any of the following:
(1) a person that is licensed, certified, registered or chartered in New Mexico to provide health care or health care services as a hospital, but not including a health care provider that is a qualified health care provider pursuant to the Medical Malpractice Act;
(2) a person, including a parent or subsidiary entity to that person, that owns, operates or manages a hospital licensed, certified, registered or chartered in New Mexico, including an outpatient clinic or other health-care-related services, but not including a health care provider that is a qualified health care provider pursuant to the Medical Malpractice Act;
(3) a person that owns, operates or manages an ambulance service that is licensed or operated under the laws of New Mexico, but not including a health care provider that is a qualified health care provider pursuant to the Medical Malpractice Act; or
(4) an employee, officer, manager or agent of a person described in Paragraph (1), (2) or (3) of this subsection, including a doctor, nurse, technologist or other health care provider in the course of providing health care or health care-related services, or a member of a board of directors, board of trustees, board of managers, corporate owners, shareholders or other similar governing or ownership entity, but not including a health care provider that is a qualified health care provider pursuant to the Medical Malpractice Act;
C. "malpractice claim" means a cause of action arising in New Mexico against a hospital health care provider for:
(1) medical treatment; lack of medical treatment; the provision of medical care; negligent credentialing, hiring, training or supervision; or another claimed departure from accepted standards of health care that proximately results in injury to a patient, whether the claim or cause of action sounds in tort or contract;
(2) battery or wrongful death;
(3) unfair trade practices, unfair competition or false advertising;
(4) third-party claims resulting from a claimed departure from the standard of care to a patient, including bystander recovery and loss of consortium; and
(5) the operation of a hospital health care provider that is a vehicular or aircraft ambulance service while being used for the intended purpose of an ambulance service, but not for the driving, flying or non-medical use of a vehicular or aircraft ambulance;
D. "non-economic damages" means all recoverable damages in a cause of action except:
(1) past and future medical expenses;
(2) past and future loss of income and earning capacity; and
(3) punitive damages; and
E. "qualified health care provider" means a health care provider that is qualified under the provisions of the Medical Malpractice Act.
SECTION 4. MALPRACTICE CLAIMS--LIMITATION ON LIABILITY.--
A. Except as provided in Section 5 of the Hospital Liability Act, in a malpractice claim for personal injury or death to a patient against a hospital health care provider:
(1) the maximum aggregate dollar amount recoverable by all persons for all non-economic damages, except punitive damages, shall not exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000); and
(2) the maximum aggregate dollar amount recoverable by all persons for all punitive damages shall not exceed two million dollars ($2,000,000).
B. The limitation of Subsection A of this section applies collectively to all claims for or arising from personal injury or death to a patient as a result of the same assertion of malpractice, regardless of whether the claims are made by a person other than the patient suffering the malpractice, including claims for bystander recovery or loss of consortium.
C. The limitation of Subsection A of this section shall apply regardless of the number of hospital health care providers found to be liable or the number of separate malpractice claims made; provided, however, that in an action where a final judgment is rendered against both a hospital health care provider and a qualified health care provider, the limitations of this section shall apply only to the hospital health care provider, and the judgment against the qualified health care provider shall be governed by the provisions of the Medical Malpractice Act.
SECTION 5. CLAIMS BASED ON APPARENT OR OSTENSIBLE AGENCY
OR VICARIOUS LIABILITY.--
A. In a malpractice claim against a hospital health care provider based on apparent or ostensible agency or vicarious liability arising out of the conduct of a qualified health care provider, the limitation of recovery provided in Section 41-5-6 NMSA 1978 and the tolling of the statute of limitations provided in Section 41-5-22 NMSA 1978 shall apply to the malpractice claim against the hospital health care provider.
B. If a hospital health care provider is only found vicariously liable for an injury or death to a patient caused by a qualified health care provider, the aggregate dollar amount recoverable by all persons from the hospital health care provider and the qualified health care provider shall not exceed the limitations described in Subsection A of this section.
C. If a hospital health care provider is found both vicariously liable for the conduct of a qualified health care provider and also liable for its own direct conduct:
(1) the recovery limits of the Hospital Liability Act shall apply to the hospital health care provider for all claims by all persons in the aggregate based on its own direct liability; and
(2) the recovery limits of Subsection A of this section shall apply to the hospital health care provider for all claims by all persons in the aggregate based on its vicarious liability for the conduct of the qualified health care provider.
D. If an initial hospital health care provider is found vicariously liable for another health care provider that is not a qualified health care provider, or both vicariously liable for another health care provider that is not a qualified health care provider and for its own direct liability, the aggregate dollar amount of recovery by all persons for all claims against the initial hospital health care provider shall be subject solely to the limitations in the Hospital Liability Act.
E. Nothing in the Hospital Liability Act shall revoke or amend any right of indemnification that a hospital health care provider may have against a qualified health care provider for payment of a vicarious award against the hospital health care provider.
F. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to create a new claim or cause of action.
SECTION 6. LAW OF COMPARATIVE FAULT UNAFFECTED.--Nothing in the Hospital Liability Act shall be deemed to affect the comparative fault system in torts.
SECTION 7. DISCLOSURE OF LIMITS PROHIBITED.--The limits of liability in the Hospital Liability Act shall not be disclosed to a jury hearing a malpractice claim.
SECTION 8. APPLICABILITY OF TORT CLAIMS ACT.--The provisions of the Hospital Liability Act do not apply to a health care provider that is a governmental entity or public employee pursuant to the Tort Claims Act.
SECTION 9. EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the provisions of this act is July 1, 2012.
- 7 -