Case Study: MVA

You have an important personal injury case: The client was in a motor vehicle accident. He injured his back making it difficult for him to walk, bend over and take care of his invalid wife.

The client has expansive medical records and his wife’s medical records are 10 times more voluminous! Wow, where to begin?

Here are the options.

1. Hire a doctor to review the medical records.
2. Utilize a paralegal to review the medical records and write a report.
3. Hire a Legal Nurse Consultant to review the client’s medical history & medical records and write a report.

In this case, the attorney decided to hire a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant (CLNC) to prepare a Medical Case Evaluation.

The benefit of utilizing a Legal Nurse:

As a registered nurse with home health expertise, the CLNC performed an environmental assessment at the client’s home and assessed both the client and his wife. The environmental assessment included listing risk factors significant to the client’s injuries, and challenges of his invalid wife.

The CLNC further prepared a report on the home care needs of the client’s invalid wife, the client’s new injuries as a result of the MVA, and tasks the client can no longer perform for his wife.

The report detailed the lifestyle the couple enjoyed prior to the MVA, and the crippling effect that the MVA had on their well-being – physically, mentally, psychosocially, and spiritually; including the drastic decline in intimacy after the MVA.

The Certified Legal Nurse Consultant attended the deposition and offered expert witness testimony about the medical-related issues.

Ultimately, the attorney was able to use this detailed report at the deposition and win the case.

Five Reasons to Hire a CLNC

1. You will earn more money.
   Instead of using a doctor who would have charged twice as much, the attorney saved money and won the case by hiring a certified legal nurse consultant. Instead of hiring the paralegal, the attorney benefitted from a home health CLNC who is more skilled at providing needs assessments and detailed analysis of medical issues than most paralegals. CLNCs provide detailed medical summaries that will assist you in making the best decisions for your clients. As a result, the attorney gained a higher value for the case than most paralegals offer.
2. You will save time.
   The number one complaint of attorney entrepreneurs is there’s not enough time in a day, especially when a case has medical jargon and complex medical issues. CLNCs are equipped with knowledge of medical jargon and know how to simplify complex medical issues. Knowledgeable legal nurses produce work products for you that save you time organizing and review.“CLNC’s can conduct research, interpret medical records, prepare timelines and chronologies uncovering gaps, inconsistencies, or tampering in medical records, prepare reports and summaries of medical records, and locate expert witnesses.” (Vickie Milazzo, pioneer of certified legal nurse consulting)
3. You will have a registered nurse who knows the ins and outs of the medical profession, including guidelines and golden standards of care and treatments. CLNCs have access to resources that are not known by most paralegals. CLNCs identify breaches in standards of care and clinical guidelines, thus making your case more winnable.
4. CLNCs are also cost-effective expert witnesses that can educate all in attendance about medical-related issues during depositions and trial hearings. CLNCs are also great at identifying which experts are needed in the case and great at locating expert witnesses.
5. You will have a behind-the-scenes specialist who is dedicated to providing answers to your questions, in addition to identifying hidden data that is crucial to your case. CLNCs uncover issues and facts often overlooked by non-medical and medical profession You will know possible defenses for both plaintiff and defense. This crucial information will help you be ready for curveballs that your opponent may throw your way and make it easier for you to see both sides of the equation. CLNCs are great team players whose aim is to provide a persuasive voice for justice and quality of life for both you and your clients. Your personal injury clients will have their voices for justice and quality of life heard throughout our reports.

Find out how our CLNCs can benefit your law firm. Contact us here or call, 267-495-4188 to discuss speak directly with us.