How Long Does It Take to Do a Medical Review by a Legal Nurse Consultant
A thorough and thoughtful review of medical records is key to building a claim or defence in a legal proceeding. Nonetheless, analyzing these records tin prove to be challenging and sometimes overwhelming. Experience-based cognition of patient care and medical record keeping is a strength of Legal Nurse Consultants. Specialized experience and cognition allow them to more easily navigate this process. Nurses can perform a more detailed analysis than other members of the legal team. Their familiarity and expertise with the healthcare arrangement allow them to identify irregularities or variants in the delivery of patient care.
Med Law Advisory Partners' Legal Nurse Consultants have decades of experience reviewing records and determining the merits of a medical example, resulting in measurable, positive outcomes in legal cases. Acquire more than about how to review medical records and the value of Legal Nurse Consultants.
Request the Relevant Medical Records
When using medical records to build a claim or defence, legal teams must take documents requested through a specific process. Requesting medical records begins with identifying the relevant documents for each case. A Legal Nurse Consultant tin easily recognize which records directly apply to the case and are critical for review. So, boosted providers may be identified during the review. Those records should be requested if they are pertinent to the instance.
When the defense requests medical records, they may require a subpoena to receive the certified documents. Records such every bit fetal heart monitoring, HIV testing, and photographs or video may require a specific request. The Legal Nurse Consultant besides ensures the asking for medical records is HIPAA compliant. For more detailed data on how to request medical records, read our blog post on obtaining medical records.
Organize the Medical Records
Upon receiving medical records, a Legal Nurse Consultant organizes the documents. Then they perform a preliminary analysis of record completeness. Knowledge of the medical record'due south typical contents based on facility type is key to determining what may be missing. From here, the record is bookmarked electronically by department and prepared for Bates stamping. Bates stamps, or Bates numbers, annotate the documents by page number and are ordinarily preceded by letters that denote the provider or facility from which the records originated. Many programs will easily Bates stamp records electronically, including Adobe Acrobat.
Organizing the medical records allows for early on identification of missing records and more efficient assay by the nurse consultant. Consequently, records organization is a valuable benefit to the litigation team as a whole. Organizing records enables the squad to place litigation-critical information in the records more than quickly.
Critically Clarify the Medical Records
After beingness organized, the medical records should be reviewed related to the detail example or filed complaint. A Legal Nurse Consultant'south involvement in this phase is crucial in determining what information, among the millions of information points in a medical record, is relevant to the instance. This analysis should focus on any known example issues and other areas of business concern appreciated by the nurse reviewer. Any required timelines or chronologies are completed concurrently with the records review. For further detailed information on specialty timelines, read Alicia Davis' article in the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting.
Although the reports should be thorough, many aspects of the medical record are immaterial and therefore, may non be included. Upon finishing the review, the timeline should exist further edited for relevancy. Merely data pertinent to the claim should be noted in the reports.
Identify Medical Experts and Assistance Legal Counsel in Retaining Qualified Experts
As a legal instance proceeds, it may be necessary to identify what type of expert opinion will bolster the case. A Legal Nurse Consultant tin can help determine the specialty of expert needed and observe the most qualified and experienced testifying skilful to opine on the case.
Requirements for experts vary from state to country. Some states require an expert to exist a licensed practitioner in that country, practicing in the area of opinion at the time of the alleged breach in the standard of care. The Legal Nurse Consultant must familiarize themselves with the requirements in each applicative state when searching for a qualified testifying expert. In some states, the Legal Nurse Consultant performing the initial records review can testify as a "fact witness" based on their knowledge of the records. Nurses may also testify regarding costs and billing. Additionally, Certified Life Care Planner nurses can develop life care plans and show to damages. For more information, see the Med Law Advisory has blog commodity on Identifying Medical Malpractice Proficient Witnesses.
Re-evaluate Medical Tape Requests
Legal Nurse Consultants often receive partially fulfilled medical records requests. During the review process, the nurse consultant will note all missing records, illegible records, and records that are suspicious. The expertise of a nurse reviewer allows for quick identification of these issues. Full reviews may require secondary records requests.
How Med Police Advisory Partners Can Assist
Obtaining and analyzing medical records for litigation purposes can exist a complex procedure. Legal and risk management teams don't always have the time, resources, and expertise to review clinical information and decide the claim of a medical case. With extensive knowledge of the health intendance industry and claims direction expertise, Med Law Advisory Partners' Legal Nurse Consultants help our clients review medical records to place the issues that truly affair and guide strategy towards a favorable outcome.
Would you like to hear more about how our legal nurse consultants tin can assistance you in the evaluation of your claims? We'd love to chat – achieve out to schedule a conversation.
Founded past Alicia Davis, RN, LNCC, Med Law Informational Partners (and former ALN Consulting) provides resources and expertise in the areas of safe opioid prescribing, medical malpractice, and mail service-acute care litigation, including COVID-19 claims. Alicia and her team have worked with authorities entities, healthcare systems, insurers, and senior-living operators for nearly 20 years, helping mitigate run a risk and manage medical-legal and healthcare fraud claims.
Originally published July 6, 2017. Terminal reviewed February. 28, 2021.
Source: https://medlawadvisory.com/review-medical-records/
Post a Comment for "How Long Does It Take to Do a Medical Review by a Legal Nurse Consultant"