Case Evaluation Archives - LegalNurse.com

18Jul2013

Get the Full Story as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant

The medical record rarely tells the full story in a medical malpractice case. It often seems as though the healthcare team has forgotten the purpose of the medical record and is intent on hiding as many of the real events as possible. Some providers go out of their way to blatantly lie about an incident. In many cases, the electronic medical record and its limitations even encourages this practice. No wonder patients who are harmed from a hospital stay (considering that 20% of every patient suffers a preventable harm, there’s plenty of them) view litigation as their only recourse. Their own medical record is unlikely to spell out the truth of what really happened.

30Jan2013

My Most Memorable CLNC® Case: A Crack in the Sidewalk Led to a $7.2-Million-Dollar Settlement and 5 New Cases

One of my favorite attorney-clients represented a building owner who was being sued for more than $20 million dollars. Negligence was asserted due to a substantial crack in the sidewalk that resulted in the fall of a 30-year-old man. The gentleman died 27 days after the fall as a result of a subdural hematoma.

27Sep2012

If You Feel Invisible – Read This!

I recently mentored a CLNC student, Joanne, who shared that she was terrified of contacting and interviewing with attorneys. A few probing questions got to the heart of the fear. “I’ve spent 30 years being invisible at the hospital with no one listening to me or respecting what I have to say about patients. Now I’m supposed to walk into an attorney’s office and suddenly feel good about selling myself.”

28Jun2012

When It’s Too Good to Be True It Might Have Been Paid for by the Manufacturer

Pharmaceutical manufacturers have long utilized ghostwriters to help “write” scientific papers emphasizing benefits and minimizing risks of their products. This culminated in a 2010 Congressional Report calling on medical schools, journals and the National Institute of Health to limit the practice.

21Jun2012

Hospital Safety Scores – Another Tool for Certified Legal Nurse Consultants

The Leapfrog Group, a non-profit organization, just released its Hospital Safety Score. 2,652 hospitals were graded on overall performance in keeping patients safe from medical errors and preventable death or injuries. Their new grading systems utilized expert analysis of publicly available data using 26 evidence-based, national measures of hospital safety.

10May2012

Savvy Certified Legal Nurse Consultants Share Testifying Experts

Attorneys must have experts to litigate their cases. While only 5% or less of medical-related cases ever go to trial, attorneys will rarely settle a significant case until the opposing side has put its experts on the table. This is why locating experts is one of the most lucrative CLNC® services a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant can provide to attorneys.

1May2012

Tom’s Tuesday Tech Tip: MEDLINE Searches Made Easy

Certified Legal Nurse Consultants know the utility of searching MEDLINE and other wonderful National Library of Medicine (NLM) databases when doing research for your legal nurse consulting work product. In case you’ve gotten rusty, this week’s Tuesday Tech Tip is a quick review on searching MEDLINE versus PubMed.

19Apr2012

Tampering with the Electronic Medical Record (Or Not)

The electronic medical record (EMR) is becoming omnipresent in the healthcare system. But EMR tampering issues in medical-related cases are a brand new frontier. It’s rare for Certified Legal Nurse Consultants and attorneys to peek behind the EMR curtain, but in the case of Samuel Sweet versus UPMC University Hospital we get to do just that. I first ran across this case last year, when the judge ordered the trial delayed after a local newspaper article about the case and the alleged tampering was published just before jury selection.

18May2011

Ask Vickie: Can Traveling Be a Strategy for Certified Legal Nurse Consultants?

Vickie,

I live in Las Vegas but grew up in North Carolina and still have plenty of contacts there. Many of those contacts know attorneys. One friend even works at the courthouse. They have all offered to put me in touch with attorneys they know. Should I make a trip to North Carolina to interview these potential attorney-clients face-to-face or should I contact them by phone and email first?

Joseph, RN, CLNC

Hi Joseph,

Congratulations on recognizing that friends and contacts everywhere are valuable to expanding your Certified Legal Nurse Consulting business. Aim to set up 4-6 interviews over a 2-day period. Call or email the attorneys to schedule interview dates and times. You have a higher probability of successfully getting a case if you can get your foot in the door and meet the attorneys face-to-face. Alternatively, if the attorneys trust your contacts enough to hire you based on their references and an email, schedule a telephone call or Skype interview and go for it!

Congratulations on making the most of this great opportunity.

Success Is Inside!

P.S. Comment and share how you’ve used contacts to expand your legal nurse business or used Skype with attorney-clients.

17Nov2010

It Pays to Be Prepared as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant

When you walk into an attorney-prospect’s office you will want the attorney to view you as a professional who produces quality and professional work. To accomplish this goal, it pays to be prepared. One Certified Legal Nurse Consultant shared with me how she learned this lesson the hard way.

Tag: Case Evaluation