Money and case timing can turn on whether a claim must go through a screening step before suit. A medical review panel is a pretrial body - usually made up of physicians, lawyers, or a judge and medical professionals - that reviews a malpractice claim and issues an opinion on whether the evidence supports a breach of the standard of care and causation. In some states, panel review is mandatory before a lawsuit may proceed; in others, it is optional or does not exist at all. The panel's decision is usually advisory, but it can shape settlement value, expert strategy, and how a jury views the case if the opinion is later admitted.

Practically, a favorable panel finding can increase pressure on a hospital, doctor, or insurer to settle. An unfavorable finding can raise costs because the injured patient may need stronger expert witness support to overcome it. In states with mandatory panels, missing the filing rules can delay a claim or lead to dismissal, which directly affects recovery.

New York is not a medical-review-panel state in the way Louisiana or Indiana are. A patient can file a medical malpractice action in New York Supreme Court, including Kings County Supreme Court, without first obtaining a panel decision. New York cases are instead controlled by deadlines such as CPLR 214-a, which generally gives 2 years and 6 months from the malpractice or end of continuous treatment, plus procedural rules such as CPLR 3406.