Purpose Of The Legal Panel:

The Purpose of the Chiropractic Legal Panel is to: (1) Prevent, whenever possible, filed court actions against chiropractic physicians and their employees for professional liability in situations in which the facts do not permit at least a reasonable inference of malpractice; and (2) Make possible the fair and equitable disposition of such claims against chiropractic physicians as are or reasonably may be well founded.

Malpractice Claim

Malpractice claim means any claim or potential claim against a chiropractic physician for chiropractic treatment, lack of chiropractic treatment, or alleged departure from accepted standards of chiropractic health care that proximately results in damage to the claimant, and includes but is not limited to a tort or contract claim or potential claim.

How Cases Submitted

A claimant shall submit a case for the consideration of the panel before filing a complaint in court sitting in Montana by addressing an original application, signed by the claimant or his attorney, to the director of the panel. Application for claim, consent forms and time line for proceedings are available on the website.

Statutory reference: 27-12-101 thru 27-12-702, MCA

Chiropractic Physician

A chiropractic physician is a person licensed to practice chiropractic under Title 37, chapter 12, who at the time of the occurrence of the incident giving rise to a malpractice claim has his principal residence or place of chiropractic practice in the state of Montana, is not fully retired from the practice of chiropractic and is/was not employed full time by any federal agency or entity.

Funding

For each fiscal year, beginning July 1, an annual assessment is levied on all active licensed chiropractic physicians practicing in the state of Montana. The fund and any income from it must be held in trust for the administration of the panel. The annual assessment must be paid on or before the date the chiropractic physicians annual license renewal fee is due ( September 1st annually).