372/Maryland Manual

The hearing record closes a minimum of fifteen
days after the final public hearing.

Board Deliberation and Decision. Following the
public hearing, the Board deliberates for a maxi-
mum of sixty days and decides whether to issue
or deny the Certificate.

The Board maintains a mailing list and regular-
ly distributes minutes, agenda, and information
concerning its activities. A brochure describing
the Board's membership, purpose, powers, statu-
tory considerations, and review process is avail-
able on request, as are certain technical publica-
tions. Call the Secretary's office.

MARYLAND HEALTH AND HIGHER
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
AUTHORITY

Chairperson: Mrs. Lyn Meyerhoff, 1984
Vice-Chairperson: E. Leister Mobley, Jr., 1987

Ex officio member: William S. James, State Trea-
surer

Appointed members: Joel A. Carrington, 1983;
Francis X. Knott, 1983; Paul B. Meritt, 1984;
Leonard I. Frenkil, 1985; Robert D. H. Har-
vey, 1985; Walter D. Pinkard, 1986.

Edward W. Lister, Jr., Executive Director
Charles N. Saunders, Assistant Director

Suite 410
26 South Calvert Street
Baltimore 21202 Telephone: 837-6220

The Maryland Health and Higher Education
Facilities Authority was created by Chapter 408,
Acts of 1970. The Authority was established to
provide certain hospitals and institutions of
higher education with the facilities and structures
that are needed to carry out the purposes of the
Maryland Health and Higher Facilities Authority
Act of 1970. The purpose of the Authority is to
enable private health and higher educational facil-
ities to use the Authority as a vehicle to issue
bonds and thereby pay a lower rate of interest.

The Authority consists of nine members. Eight
members are appointed by the Governor for five-
year terms. The State Treasurer serves ex officio.
Members may be reappointed. The Governor des-
ignates the chairperson and the vice-chairperson.
The Authority appoints the Executive Director
and a general counsel, neither of whom can be
members (Code 1957, Art. 43C).

HEALTH CLAIMS ARBITRATION
OFFICE

Walter R. Tabler, Director
Janna K. Vavroch, Administrative Assistant

301 W. Preston St., Room 1514
Baltimore 21201 Telephone: 383-3910
Toll Free: 800-492-1951

The Health Claims Arbitration Office was cre-
ated in 1976 as a unit within the Executive De-
partment (Chapter 235, Acts of 1976).

Any person asserting a claim against a health
care provider, for damages in excess of $5,000
and due to medical injury, must file the claim
with the Health Claims Arbitration Office. The
Director is responsible for notifying all affected
parties and for supplying a list of qualified arbi-
trators, five from each of the three categorical
lists, from each of which one mutually agreed
upon arbitrator is chosen to sit on the three-per-
son arbitration panel. That panel then must de-
termine the issue of liability with respect to the
claim and, if it determines that a health care pro-
vider is liable, it must consider and assess appro-
priate damages. The decision of the arbitration
panel is final, unless rejected by any party, in
which case the rejecting party must file an appeal
action at the circuit court level to reverse or mod-
ify the award.

The Office is headed by a Director appointed
by the Governor with the advice and consent of
the Senate. The Director is responsible for pre-
paring three lists of qualified persons willing to
serve as arbitrators of health care malpractice
claims, one list consisting of attorneys, one of
health care providers, and one of persons from
the general public who are neither attorneys,
health care providers, nor in the employ of insur-
ance interests.

HERRING RUN PUBLIC WATERSHED
ASSOCIATION COMMISSION

Chairperson: John Carroll Byrnes,

Charles R. Buck, Jr., Secretary of Health and
Mental Hygiene; Mary Dolan, Regional Plan-
ning Council; Jody Landers, Baltimore City;
Norman W. Lauenstein, Baltimore County
Council; Constance Lieder, Secretary of State
Planning; Samuel R. Martin, Regional Planning
Council; Louise G. Murphy, State Senate-44th
District; Michael Nelson; Department of Natu-
ral Resources; Paul Solomon, Baltimore County.

5221 Loch Raven Blvd.
Baltimore 21239 Telephone: 532-8855