AMCNO meets with Chief Justice Moyer of the Ohio Supreme Court to Discuss Specially Trained Judge Program

On behalf of the AMCNO membership and in keeping with our ongoing efforts to pursue alternative dispute resolution in order to reduce professional liability premiums; members of the AMCNO physician leadership, staff and attorneys met with Chief Justice Moyer this week to discuss the ASTAR program – The Advanced Science and Technology Adjudication Resource Center, Inc. This is a leadership consortium dedicated to enhancement of capacities of the courts via science and technology knowledge tools.

Resource judges are meant to preside in complex cases featuring novel scientific evidence and issues. They are skilled in mediation and other procedures that may save litigants from the financial and emotional costs of lengthy trials. They provide background and procedural information to their colleagues. They provide leadership for Bench, bar and law school education for the next generation of jurists. Resource judges are meant to promote the independence of the courts and public confidence in the courts. ASTAR is a consortium of the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Court of Appeals of Maryland and the Supreme Court of Illinois, and the Supreme Court of Washington. Currently 39 jurisdictions are ASTAR members and numerous judges in the state of Ohio have participated in the program. 

The AMCNO met with Chief Justice Moyer to discuss the ASTAR program to ascertain how he plans to utilize these specially trained judges in Ohio. The AMCNO informed the Chief Justice that we continue to evaluate and review alternatives to the current tort reform system and we made it known to the Chief Justice that the availability of judges specially trained on complex medical issues is of interest to our organization. ASTAR is planning a session in February 2009 of the 39 states involved in the program to determine how to utilize these specially trained judges. Although there has been no determination made as yet by the ASTAR program on how to best utilize these specially trained judges, the AMCNO plans to follow up with Chief Justice Moyer to voice our support of their use in medical liability cases in Ohio. The AMCNO will follow up with the Chief Justice following the February 2009 ASTAR meeting to garner additional information on the outcome of their discussions.