(a) The hearing shall be held in a place provided by the court, by the commissioner, by the chairperson of the panel or, at the request of the chairperson, by a member of the panel. Unless otherwise agreed by the panel, parties and counsel, such place shall be within the county.

(b) The chairperson shall fix a hearing date and time, not less than 15 nor more than 30 days after the case is assigned, and shall give written notice to the members of the panel and the parties or their counsel at least 10 days before the date set. The commissioner may, on good cause shown, extend for a reasonable period the time within which the hearing shall be commenced. Such date and time shall not be a Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday or during evening hours except by agreement of the panel, parties and counsel. Adjournments may be granted at the discretion of the chairperson only upon good cause shown.

(c) If the chairperson is unable to schedule a hearing within 30 days after the case is assigned, or within such further period as the commissioner may set, he shall notify the commissioner in writing of the reasons for such inability. The commissioner shall mark the action “continued” and place it on the arbitration calendar, and shall assign another action to the panel.

(d) Any action which is continued twice, after assignment to two panels, shall be referred by the commissioner to the court where the action was commenced or, if the action was transferred, to the court to which it was transferred, for a hearing on the cause of the inability to hold an arbitration hearing. The court, upon such hearing, may order a dismissal, or authorize the entry of judgment by default pursuant to CPLR 3215, or refer the action to the commissioner for assignment to another panel.