The medical malpractice crisis of the early and mid-1970s prompted many states to enact legislation creating medical malpractice screening tribunals. This legislation often failed to define clearly the role and jurisdiction of the tribunals. The lack of statutory definition is particularly apparent where a claim before a tribunal raises primarily nonmedical issues. The changing doctrines of hospital liability, involving both medical and nonmedical determinations, illuminate this jurisdictional difficulty.This Note examines the Massachusetts courts' attempts to define the tribunal's role when the tribunal is confronted with issues of hospital liability and other unsettled areas of the substantive law of medical malpractice. The Note suggests that tribunals should be limited to deciding issues concerning medical treatment and the professional conduct of physicians and hospitals.

中文翻译：

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马萨诸塞州医疗事故原告的新障碍：医疗事故筛查法庭的作用不断扩大

1970 年代初和中期的医疗事故危机促使许多州制定立法，设立医疗事故筛查法庭。该立法往往未能明确界定法庭的作用和管辖权。当向法庭提出的索赔主要引起非医疗问题时，缺乏法定定义尤其明显。医院责任原则的变化，包括医疗和非医疗决定，阐明了这一管辖困难。本说明审查了马萨诸塞州法院在法庭面临医院责任问题和实体法其他未解决领域时定义法庭角色的尝试的医疗事故。