Many states have instituted “affidavit of merit” or “certificate of merit” provisions into their laws as a tort reform measure to screen out frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits. The theory behind such measures is to prevent medical malpractice lawsuits from being filed unless and until a qualified physician has actually reviewed the case and deemed the claim to have some threshold of merit. To read Ed Taber‘s article explaining the status of Ohio’s affidavit of merit rule, click here.