Introduction
Attorneys are always in a race against time, and the most difficult phases in cases of medical malpractice or personal injury litigation is the collection and sifting through voluminous medical records. Choosing whether or not to outsource medical record review services tends to be one of the choices that, if executed properly, can bolster the most legal processes. In this article, we focus on the advantages of outsourcing, the problems that are experienced by attorneys, and how our medical record review company can help lawyers in America.
Understanding Medical Record Review Services
What Is A Medical Record Review Service?
A legal nurse consultant provides services that require examination of the patient’s medical history, treatment history, and any documentation related to the case. For attorneys with cases that involves detailed medical facts and standards of care, these services are very key and can profoundly impact the outcome of a case.
Components Describe Medical Record Review
- Data Extraction: Sourcing required information from a medical record.
- Analysis: Evaluating if the medical records are in tandem with the standard of care.
- Reporting: Developing reports based on findings and reviewing them for legal purposes.
The Advantages of Offshoring Medical Record Review Services
It Saves Money
Outsourcing hospital record review services saves a lot of money for law firms. By offshoring these services, attorneys do not have to worry about the indirect expenses of recruiting and equipping personnel, along with the requisite in-house employment costs.
• Reduced Employee Expenses: Outsourcing does away with the need for full-time employees dedicated to record review.
• Volume Flexibility: Law firms are able to change the amount of work that is sent out based on the availability of work and only pay for what they use.
Availability of Skilled Workforce
Outsourcing broadens the horizon of specialized skills and expertise which the company may not have had in its employment.
• Major Stakeholders in Medicine: A number of outsourcing companies have medical personnel who are familiar with the details of the medical records and can offer some perspective which the lawyers may not have.
• Legal Training: Many such firms have been in contact with lawyers and therefore, these firms know that their reports must be produced in an acceptable legal form.
Enhanced Effectiveness
Outsourcing helps remedy the situation by relieving the attorney of time spent on the lower level review work and allowing them to focus more on strategy and client interaction.
• Better Output Efficiency: These specialized outsourcers are often able to complete reviews faster than in-house teams because their technology, processes, and resources are geared toward doing reviews.
• Improved Workflow: When attorneys outsource certain tasks, they are able to complete case prep and communications more effectively with the available time.
Enhanced Accuracy
The outsourcing of medical record review tends to result in more detailed and precise assessments.
• Quality Control: Providers of outsourced services have highly vetted claims and utilize strict quality control techniques to ensure that their reviews are accurate.
• Reduced Errors: When the reviews are done by professionals, the chances of errors are minimal, which is vital for legal cases.
Challenges of In-House Medical Record Review
Resource Limitations
Most law firms do not have the adequate resources available for them to perform a thorough medical record review in-house.
• Time Constraints: Lawyers have multiple cases that they are working on, and reviewing medical records in detail is time consuming.
• Lack of Expertise: Legal staff does not have the requisite medical knowledge to perform accurate interpretations of sophisticated medical records.
Increased Liability
Failure to adequately review documents can have serious legal implications.
• Risk of Malpractice: Attorneys not being able to find critical information in medical records may result in malpractice claims being filed against them.
• Client Trust: Damaging reviews translate to the breakdown of trust between the attorney and the client, which tarnishes the firm’s reputation.
Case Studies
Case Study 1: Medical Malpractice Claim
Overview of the Case: A particular attorney was dealing with a medical malpractice claim due to a surgical error that had significantly complicated the patient’s condition.
Challenges
- The attorney had a hard time reviewing the medical records and picking out crucial information to the case.
- Preparing for the impending trial within the time constraints was also an issue.
Solutions
- Our firm’s medical records team was fully prepared to take on the challenge and they worked with our attorney to analyze the records.
- We prepared a comprehensive report explaining the breaches of the standard of care alongside pertinent medical literature.
Case Study 2: Personal Injury Case
Overview of the Case: A personal injury attorney was working for a patient who suffered from serious injuries due to a car accident and had to go extensive medical treatment.
Challenges
- The attorney had difficulty gathering and analyzing the medical records due to their complexity and the volume.
- It was also necessary to establish that the patient had received the treatment due to the accident.
Solutions
- Our staff performed a comprehensive review of the records, abstracting the necessary information and compacting it into an easily digestible report.
• We provided the lawyer with the vital evidence needed to prove the case by establishing relationships between the key medical treatments and the injuries suffered during the accident.
Conclusion
Attorneys stand to gain tremendously by contracting out the services of a medical record review because it saves money, provides access to expert knowledge, improves precision, and aids workflow. If legal representatives team up with a medical record review company, they can concentrate on their primary obligations while being sure that they have everything needed to build a solid case. Attorneys and clients in a very competitive legal environment stand to benefit when these services are used which enhances the practice and improves the outcomes for the clients.
