When should I call a CLNC?

When you first have a medical case walk through the door you should call a CLNC to review the case. A CLNC can help you identify possible defendants and to assist with discovery. The sooner you call, the more thorough she or he can be. You know better than anyone how fast the statute of limitations can run out and that timelines and deadlines must be met. Therefore, by calling sooner rather than later you insure that you will have the most complete report possible.

I always use MDs, why should I use a nurse?

Doctors and nurses look at the world very differently and that includes a medical record. While doctors are well versed in certain areas of the chart, they are focused on just the medical issues and really can’t speak to all of the nursing and ancillary issues that could be present. They are also contractors in the hospital setting and may not be as familiar with all of the inner workings of the facility as an employee. Nurses, by contrast, are employees and know the ins and outs of the hospital. They are also well versed in the whole chart and can pick up deviations of Standards of Care for all disciplines. Causation and Damages can only be determined by a thorough review of past and subsequent records. The nurse is in a unique position to provide that kind of review. Most attorneys feel that by having both an MD and an RN is the best strategy. By having the MD focus on what he or she is most comfortable with and the nurse review the whole record the attorney receives a more thorough screening. It is also financially prudent as nurses are less expensive consulting experts.

I have nurse paralegals, why should I also have a legal nurse consultant?

Your paralegals are invaluable and a Legal Nurse Consultant can work in partnership with your paralegal. While paralegals are well versed in all of the legal aspects you want them to address, a Legal Nurse Consultant’s training consists more of chart review and report writing for attorneys. We are trained to give you “the good, the bad, and the ugly” of a case. We want you to have no surprises from the other side. As a consultant, we review the cases assigned and can point the paralegal in the right direction. As a team, an LNC and paralegal are a very formidable team for chart review.

I screen all my cases myself. Why would I want to pay someone to do what I already do myself?

While it is necessary that you screen your own cases, it is not time effective for you to do so from scratch. A Legal Nurse Consultant can do so more quickly and accurately simply because he or she is at home in a medical chart, just as you are in a legal file. And, in the world of law, time is money!

Do I need a Legal Nurse Consultant that has experience in the specialty that is involved in my case?

No. A Legal Nurse Consultant can review any case with a medical component. If a specialty is needed, she will subcontract with another legal nurse consultant to review that specialty’s records and then write the report. As a CLNC, I have access to over 6,000 subcontractors that can review cases assigned to me so that the report I provide my attorney clients has the most up to date and accurate information.

I’ve heard that Legal Nurse Consultants are expensive. Why should I pay that much?

A legal nurse consultant can screen faster than a lawyer, more thoroughly than a paralegal, and more broadly than an MD. By saving time and costing less than the lawyer’s own time or a MD, the cost effectiveness is apparent. And, with the money back guarantee, there is nothing to lose!