NM Medical Review Committee

Members of the Medical Review Committee serve as members of the panels that review certain types of medical malpractice claims before the claims reach the courts, as part of a system created by New Mexico Medical Practice Act, N.M. Stat. Ann. §§ 45-5-1 through -29.

All active and inactive attorney members of the State Bar are welcome to join the Committee and serve on the panels; prior experience with medicine or malpractice claims definitely is not required. Attorneys may receive up  to four (4) self-study CLE credits hours per year by participating on panels (i.e., one credit hour per completed panel). Service on panels also qualifies as voluntary pro bono public service under Rule 16-601(D) of the Rules of Professional Conduct.

Under the Medical Malpractice Act, panels of three lawyers and three medical providers review the claims being brought against “health care providers” (see §41-5-3(A)) who are “qualified” (see § 41-5-5) under the Act.  Panelists receive records selected by the parties to review before the panel hearing; as of March 2021 all hearing were being conducted via Zoom.

Committee members are polled to see if they are available to serve on a panel – see the policies, procedures and handbook for details about the selection procedure, and how panels are conducted.

Join the Committee

• Policies and Procedures
• Rules of Procedure
• Excerpts from the New Mexico Medical Malpractice Act
• 2022 Annual Report