Medical record review is significant for attorneys involved in medical malpractice/negligence, mass tort, or personal injury cases. Maintaining good medical records is not just enough for attorneys; they require a medical record summary that is understandable to non-medical professionals. Though lawyers handle similar medical negligence or malpractice cases, they still might not remember the medical nuances and terminology. In recent years, John Hopkins Hospital reported that medical malpractice ranks third among the leading causes of death behind cancer and heart disease.
In such demanding cases, medical record review is the medical handbook for lawyers to prepare for a successful trial or deposition. Based on the review and medical proof, attorneys establish liabilities and damages vital to getting compensation for the injury. However, the medical records review process is not easy; it requires experts in the medical field who can break down complex medical terminology and deliver an abstract legible to attorneys.
Get precise and easy-to-understand medical records summaries for your personal injury cases, Reach us today!
Challenges Involved In Reviewing Medical Records:
Medical records are voluminous and intricate to read for attorneys and insurance carriers. Similarly, for the plaintiff or defense side, attorneys need the extracted medical records for medical litigations. The challenges faced by attorneys while doing medical record review are:
1. Stacks of Medical Records
A patient’s medical records constitute hundreds of pages of private medical information and comprehensive medical terminology. In addition, each time an individual pays a visit, the healthcare provider updates basic health information, including doctor notes, treatment options, and observations.
But it will be a time-consuming and exhausting job for the in-house team to review and analyze thousands of pages of medical records. Moreover, irrespective of the number of medical records, it calls for extra attention and accuracy to review the medical records.
Outsourcing medical records review to a third-party service provider will be beneficial as they help you save enough time in organizing and concentrate on your firm’s core responsibilities.
2. Unorganized Records
The medical records that reach the attorney’s office for pre-trial preparation are raw and unorganized. Medical records also arrive from multiple healthcare providers, hospitals, pharmacies, diagnostic centers, etc., on different dates and times.
Some of these records contain duplicates, records before the particular injury, and irrelevant documents. It consumes time and valuable resources to sift through the provided medical records to make sense.
On the other hand, missing medical records is another challenge for attorneys as they have to collect medical bills and other relevant documents based on medical chronology.
Some of the key benefits of using a medical records reviewer
- Organize medical records based on medical chronology
- Uncover missing or incomplete medical records and
- Accurate extraction of date, time, procedures, and treatments
- Feature complex information.
3. Lack of Narrative Data
Healthcare providers are actively opting for new-age electronic medical records for their convenience and data backup. Although electronic medical records are legible and readily available for healthcare professionals, most of them doesn’t include proper doctor observations and medical narrative data. The lack of narrative data could affect the overall understanding of the impact of the injury. A well-experienced medical expert team offers
- Medical scribing facility
- Transcribe doctor notes to a legible format.
4. Medical Terminology
Still, we have physicians in our neighborhood that follow old-school handwritten health records. In some cases, these handwritten records are illegible, and it is a cumbersome job to track the source and double-check the details of injury and treatment. Moreover, it takes expert medical professionals to sort the relevant medical records of the personal injury.
Each case is unique, and the in-house team of a law firms does not have adequate resources to review the medical record instantly. However, when you outsource to an independent service provider, they will provide you with a team of experts familiar with handling similar medical records. So, the process of organizing and extracting the info will be effortless.
An Excellent Medical Records Review Is Key To Successful Pre-Trial Preparation.
PreludeSys being a pioneer in offering professional medical record review services for more than two decades, can be a trusted partner in making your entire review process hassle-free. Our expert team will provide accurate and straightforward clinical summaries that enable your staff to improve productivity and work-life balance. Medical records review might result in new facts or events that can change the case in favor of your client.
FAQ
1. Who conducts medical record review for law firms and attorneys?
Medical record reviews are typically conducted by medical professionals with expertise in relevant specialties. These professionals, often physicians or registered nurses, assess the medical records to provide insights into the medical care provided, potential negligence, and the impact on the patient.
2.How long does the medical record review process usually take?
The duration varies based on factors like the complexity of the case, the volume of medical records, and the availability of relevant documents. Simple cases might take a few weeks, while complex cases could take several months to complete.
