Frequently Asked Questions
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What does a legal nurse consultant do?
A legal nurse consultant is an expert within their area of practice. These consultants work with law professionals, usually attorneys, and perform a variety of services. They assist in medical malpractice cases, personal injury claims, act as observers during Independent Medical Exams, offer expert consultations to determine if a case has merit, and offer expert witness testimonies. They also offer summaries and chronologies of medical charts, as well as "weaving a story" out of a medical chart full of undecipherable medical terminology and abbreviations. There is an increased demand for legal nurse consultants, leading to more well-rounded, better educated attorney-clients regarding their cases.
How do you charge for your services? There seem to be a wide variety offered.
We have clear, concise fee schedules, which are available upon request. For medical chart merit reviews, chronologies, and summaries, we can typically break down a medical chart by pages, with approximately 75-100 pages per hour charged. Nurse observations have a separate flat fee, which many of our clients enjoy (instead of confusing mileage rates versus exam rates). Expert witness testimonies have a distinct fee schedule as well, which is available upon request. We do offer rush reviews for those crunch times!
My firm uses paralegals to review medical charts. Why should I use a legal nurse consultant?
Legal nurse consultants have an extensive background in the medical field. Our consultants have their bachelor's degree or higher, and all have worked extensively at the bedside and/or in management in acute and long-term care facilities. Paralegals are able to glean the basics out of a medical chart, but for a real picture of the intricacies and protocols following the elusive Standards of Care, you need a legal nurse consultant. Our legal nurse consultants have years of auditing and reviewing charts, giving you the certainty you need for your case.
My paralegals go to all of my client's Independent Medical Exams. Why should I use a legal nurse consultant?
Legal nurse consultants are a neutral medical entity. Having one present at your client's Independent Medical Exam indicates to the judge (if your case proceeds to trial) that there was no bias during the observation. Our observers audio record each examination as well as write a detailed report in layman's terms of the examination portion. Legal nurse consultants are very aware of neurology, orthopedic, psychiatric, and many other types of examinations. A paralegal is able to audio record, but a legal nurse consultant is able to determine any obvious omissions from the Examiner, which can be a boon for your case. As a neutral medical professional, a legal nurse consultant can better support you if needed to be an expert witness, boosting your case's chance of success.