Services

Services offered, included but not limited to:

Life Care Planning - I am a Certified Life Care Planner. Please contact me for details if you wish to retain my services in this area. You may visit the CHCC website to learn about Life Care Planning at http://www.cdec1.com.

Case review and complete screening - I offer a free initial consultation. I will give a "bottom line" opinion. This service takes 5 hours or less. I reach beyond the surface and give details. I strive to make it worth more than it costs. I can save you frustration and aggravation as well as time and money.

Provide a report to the attorney - I can provide a narrative report or a chronological time-line. The screening report can be written or verbal, at the attorney's request. The report can be brief, moderate, or comprehensive to meet the attorney's needs. I will give you the best possible value for your dollar in a timely and efficient manner. I continue to practice within the health care setting. Therefore I am current on policies, procedures, and standards of care.

Records organization, tabulation, and pagination - As a registered nurse, I have a more comprehensive understanding of medical records than any other litigation professional. Upon receipt of the records, I will screen them, and after submitting a preliminary report to the client, I will organize them from admission to discharge in a chronological fashion. The pages are then indexed and numbered so that pertinent information may be accessed more easily. This saves the attorney from having to flip from section to section to find information he or she needs. The index is updated as needed throughout the case life.

Attend, annotate and report IME (Independent Medical Exam)/DME (Defense Medical Exam) - I will attend and observe the examination as the client's representative. My role is then the one of "designated observer". I will keep a detailed written account of what occurs from the time the plaintiff arrives until they leave the office.

Identify experts - This demands particular attention to detail. The expert will be carefully selected to be the best possible person for the case.

Prepare Interrogatories or Requests for Production - As the LNC for a plaintiff client, I will be looking for information supportive of the plaintiff's case. For the defense client, I will be seeking out the weak areas in the plaintiff's case including those facts that will limit damages. I will examine the responses to interrogatories to discover additional documents that should be requested. I will then review the opposing party's answers and summarize them.

Help develop questions for trial - Because of my clinical experience, I can assist the attorney in asking pertinent questions regarding all aspects of the care received.

Library and Internet searches and research - I know where to go and what to look for when doing medical research. I have an extensive database and numerous resources to rely on for up-to-date information.

Analyze validity and reliability of scientific research - My clinical expertise enables me to interpret the data and inform my attorney-client of the implications of the results.

Identify and recommend potential defendants - Potential defendants will be noted as the case is being screened. This information will be included in the report to the attorney-client.

Review, analyze and summarize depositions, including past testimony - I will "translate" the medical testimony into a report that the attorney will easily understand.

Attend depositions, trials, review panels, and arbitration and mediation hearings - At the attorney's request I will attend any of these events in order to serve as educator and or translator regarding the medical issues.

Interview, co-interview clients, family members - This gives me the "bigger picture" of what may have happened to the injured person. Sometimes valuable information can be obtained by asking the right questions. I know the questions to ask because I know the medical environment and I have the clinical experience to support me.

Practice Areas

Any case involving health, illness, or injury including the following:

Nursing home litigation - As a result of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987, Congress passed the Nursing Home Quality Reform Act. As a result of OBRA, there is an increased awareness of negligence occurring in nursing homes. I would request the nursing home records in order to inspect them carefully for noncompliance with OBRA as well as any other general malpractice.

Medical and Nursing Malpractice - I am uniquely qualified to speak to these issues due to my extensive and current clinical experience. I know what to look for in the medical record. I know what is missing from the medical record and I am very familiar with the Standards of Care. From admission to discharge, I can determine what indeed transpired in the course of treatment. I examine each and every document presented and request missing documents be obtained.

Workers Compensation - I can assist the attorney in reviewing the reports about the work related injury and putting them into language that a non-medical person can understand. Some examples of Workers Compensation cases are:

• Equipment and machinery-related injuries
• Cumulative trauma disorders
• Objects striking workers
• Back injuries
• Automobile accidents

Personal Injury - I can prepare the defense attorney by advising about the plausibility of the injuries being a direct result of the event at issue. I will also evaluate the possibility of any pre-existing conditions that may be relevant. I will also evaluate whether or not the plaintiff's request for ongoing treatment and /or rehabilitation are reasonable. For the plaintiff attorney, I will perform the screening evaluation and test the validity of the accident causing the injuries claimed, the sincerity of the plaintiff's attempts to remedy the injuries by seeking correct and consistent treatment, and outline current and future disabilities which may arise from the injury. After the summary and analysis the case will be either accepted or rejected by the attorney based on the LNC's analysis and evaluation.

General Negligence - These cases include nonprofessional negligence, premises liability, auto accident, aviation, liquor liability, railroad, maritime, water accident, and sports injury cases.

Product Liability - Medical device/drug related cases, and non-medical device cases.

Toxic Torts - These cases involve alleged damages or injuries caused by release of toxins or chemicals into the environment. Examples include:

• Electromagnetic fields
• Asbestos
• Radiation Contamination
• Hazardous chemicals in a workplace
• Waste management disposal
• Pesticides
• Secondary smoke exposure
• Sick building syndrome
• Lead poisoning
• Oil spills

Criminal Cases - Examples include:

• Intoxication in DWI or DUI cases
• Sexual and physical assault cases
• Child, spouse or elderly abuse
• Criminal cases against individual providers and Facilities
• Criminal environmental cases
• Any case involving a victim of a violent crime
• Psychiatric defenses and psychiatric issues
• Excessive use of force by police cases