Finding more effective ways to address and resolve medical malpractice claims has dogged the legal and medical communities for decades. The very nature of the relationship between patient and provider, the difficulty in determining the appropriate standard of care and the existence of mandated reporting requirements of certain claims to a national databank are but a few of the issues that make malpractice disputes so difficult. Creating a threshold high enough to discourage frivolous claims but realistic enough to allow worthy claims to continue has been a challenge in the eyes of advocates for both sides.

Representatives of patients and caregivers—whether institutions or individuals—argue with equal conviction that the process should focus on important objectives, beyond bringing resolution to specific claims.