5 Ways Medical Record Chronologies Can Assist Medical Malpractice Plaintiff Litigators
Wilton, CT (PRWEB) October 30, 2013 -- Medical malpractice cases are increasingly complex matters in terms of litigation. This is a direct result of patients seeing numerous medical specialists and visiting many different institutions for care. All these “hands in the pot” can lead to thousands of pages of medical records, from numerous direct care to institutional care facilities.
Given this reality, cost conscious plaintiff litigators are increasingly looking for additional ways to reduce upfront risk and keep costs to a minimum. Medical record chronologies, if produced efficiently, can provide the upfront organization of medical records that attorneys require. Below are some ways that litigators find value in medical chronologies which can be integrated into your current practice.
1) Organization of records.
This may sound simple, but many times, medical records are retained through a hospital record division or from a primary care office. They may be thorough, but many times they arrive unorganized and out of order. A medical chronology starts with the organization of the records in order to complete the written chronology.
2) Outline an efficient timeline of events.
Many cases can have boxes upon boxes of medical records. Legal nurse consultants can provide a summary and organized version of the events in a well formatted, written chronology, which the attorney can use throughout the case. This “cheat sheet” comes in handy and is a time saver when analyzing a case.
3) Determine the type of expert witness.
Medical chronologies go a long way in picking out all of the detailed facts of the case, thus allowing the attorney to be comfortable in their choice of medical specialty to review the case as a medical expert.
4) Prepare for trial.
Cutting down on time and money spent on trial preparation is key to maintaining a viable practice. Medical chronologies reduce the preparation time for the attorney, the expert witnesses and the attorney support staff, as they save valuable time sorting through unorganized records.
5) Reduce Medical Expert fees.
Providing a clean chronology to an expert as they review the medical records is a tried and tested method of reducing expert review time and associates fees. The more organized the case, the more efficient the expert can be in reviewing case documents. As expert costs continue to be a large portion of medical litigation expenses, an upfront medical chronology is an ideal weapon for a litigator.
Mednick Associates, in business for over 20 years, has a medical expert witness network of 2,500 medical doctors in over 150 specialties. Additionally, they offer a full suite of legal nurse consulting services, including medical chronologies. They can be reached at 1-888-MEDNICK or at their website http://www.mednickassociates.com.
Adam Taranto, Mednick Associates, http://www.mednickassociates.com, +1 (203) 645-5257 Ext: 103, [email protected]
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