Why Hire a Legal Nurse Consultant?

Why hire a legal nurse consultant you may ask? A legal nurse consultant is a skilled professional in the nursing industry and has qualifications to provide advise as a consultant on medical cases. An experienced legal nurse consultant can provide tremendous support for your personal injury case. They are able to bring attorneys’ attention to important details in the medical records or course of treatment that many attorneys may miss. This makes it easier for the attorneys to not miss any important aspects of the case and helps prove liability in court.

Reasons to Hire a Legal Nurse Consultant

Here are 5 reasons you should hire a legal nurse consultant for your case:

1. ACCURATE REVIEW OF MEDICAL RECORDS

Medical records are often voluminous and requires a general understanding of medical jargon to understand what the medical professional is notating. If the attorney is attempting to review the records on his or her own, it generally will take an extended amount of time because the attorney will need to research certain terms in the records to understand exactly what is being read. A legal nurse consultant will be able to review the records in a more efficient manner because he or she will not require additional research to understand the terminology and treatment recommendations.

A legal nurse consultant is familiar with medical records because of the experienced gained by preparing medical records throughout his or her career. The legal nurse consultant will review to ensure all important details are documented in the

records and will also be able to advise if there is anything important missing from the records which could have caused additional injuries.

While reviewing the records, a legal nurse consultant will often prepare a summary of the medical treatment. This provides significant trial support to the attorney on the case and allows the attorney to pinpoint certain parts of the record without having to spend hours searching. The summary not only provides a picture of the entire medical treatment rendered, but also can demonstrate what went wrong during the treatment.

2. DETERMINING THE LEGAL CAUSE OF INJURY

At trial, the attorney needs to prove what was the legal cause of the injury. This is often referred to as “proximate cause.” This simply means that the injuries sustained by the individual were foreseeable based on the medical treatment received. This is often one of the most difficult elements to prove in court. A legal nurse consultant will be able to pinpoint factors which caused, or aided in causing, the injuries sustained. The legal nurse consultant will provide an analysis as to why these actions by the medical professionals led to the result. By having a legal nurse consultant, the attorney will be fully prepared to prove what caused the injuries to the jury.

3. ADVISE ON STANDARD OF CARE

The standard of care in medical legal cases is defined as the reasonable care a skilled medical professional should provide under the circumstances. This helps establish the medical professional’s duty to the patient and provides insight as to whether the medical professional breached the duty to provide a certain standard of care. Generally, legal nurse consultants have an extensive hands-on background working in the medical field and are familiar with the standard of care which should be provided to the patient. During the review of the medical records, the legal nurse consultant will provide insight as to what the medical professional should have done under the circumstances based on legal nurse consultant’s experience and education. This provides the attorney support in depositions and at trial by explaining what the reasonable standard of care was under the circumstances and how the medical professional failed to act reasonably.

4. ASSESS DAMAGES

The last element an attorney needs to argue is the amount of damages sustained by the injured person. This can always be tricky if the attorney does not have adequate knowledge as to the severity of the injuries and future medical treatment required for the remainder of the injured person’s life. A legal nurse consultant will review all the facts of the treatment and will be able to advise the typical outcome based on those facts.

Additionally, the legal nurse consultant will be able to look out for any pre-existing conditions which could have affected the medical treatment. This will cause an impact on the damages and allow a defense to the amount of damages sustained. By receiving an evaluation of the damages sustained, the attorney will save significant time and money on evaluating whether this case should proceed through the litigation process.

5. ADD VALUE TO THE CASE

The most important reason to hire a legal nurse consultant to assist with a medical case is because they can add tremendous value to the case. This value is often added in indirect ways such as providing the attorney with more time to create successful legal strategies for the case because the attorney does not have to stress over every detail in the medical records. The legal nurse consultant will point out what is important for the attorney to understand.

Testimony from expert doctors can often make or break a medical case. A legal nurse consultant can also provide recommendations for expert medical doctors who will be able to help support the facts of the case. Throughout a nurse’s career, he or she will be introduced to many expert medical doctors in specific fields. Often, a nurse works closely with these doctors and will know whether these experts will be able to provide credible testimony.

Legal nurse consultants provide a cost-effective and efficient tool to utilize in your medical case. SPLNC & Associates has a team of legal nurses, with a vast knowledge of understanding medical issues and trends. The legal nurse consultants at SPLNC & Associates work in collaboration with the lawyer to get the cases across the finish line. As a legal nurse we take pride in our work product.

Common Questions About Legal Nurses

  • Who do legal nurses help? Our expertise is usually best suited for attorneys, healthcare providers, and government agencies that need consulting in the medical industry.
  • What is a legal nurse consultant? A legal nurse consultant usually has years of experience as a nurse. Shaun Sever, LCP-C, is the founder and owner of SPLNC & Associates, LLC, Legal Nurse Consulting. Shaun is a Registered Nurse and is certified as an Advanced Legal Nurse Consultant. Her education includes a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and an Associate Degree in Nursing.
  • Are legal nurse consultants in demand? According to the AALNC and BLS the industry is projected to grow 9% year over year until 2030. Therefore, Legal Nurses are high in demand are able to help solve many problems in mass tort litigation, class action lawsuits, and civil / criminal court cases.

What Does a Legal Nurse Consultant Do?

Legal nurse consultants can help with medical billing, medical malpractice lawsuits, and help increase revenues and streamline operations in the areas of personal injury, product liability, medical billing, medical malpractice, toxic torts and criminal law.

In the case of Jennifer Nibarger, a woman who suffered many injuries from the Hospital staff. Her injuries included:

  • VAP (Ventilator Associated Pneumonia)
  • UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)
  • BSI (Blood Stream Infection)
  • TEF (Tracheosophageal Fistula)

All of these were caused by poor hand-off communication and eventually led to her death. In fact, according to Patient Safety Movement, there are over 3 million hospital related injuries due to poor communication and poor patient service. Her husband Brent Nibarger, hired a lawyer to fight the lawsuit, and the lawyer hired a nurse to help with the case.

This is what a legal nurse consultant does. They help the lawyer fight for the patient who was hurt by the hospital and their staff.

Hire a Legal Nurse Consultant in Ann Arbor, MI

If you are interested in hiring one of our legal nursing consultants to assist with your medical case, please contact us at 517-256-5011 or by filling out the consultation form found here.