After being hired by a life care planning firm to collaborate on a considerable medical-legal case for an attorney-client, Legal Medical Link’s role substantially impacted the case outcome having resulted in an undisclosed settlement amount. Legal Medical Link performed medical record review and analysis and medical record summary chronology report development for use in case presentation. Legal Medical Link’s case findings, in combination with the life care planners expertise significantly impacted the defense to settle the matter with the plaintiff’s firm proving once again that a legal nurse consultant is a vital member of the litigation team in medical-legal cases.
 
Having proven themselves time and time again with plaintiff and defense firms, Legal Medical Link is An Attorney Asset and a Vital Member of Litigation Teams Nationwide! Call today for a complimentary initial case consultation at (660) 422-1361.

Legal Medical Link wishes to thank the IAJ, attendees, and speakers for the opportunity to exhibit at the 3rd annual Trial Lawyers Conference last week. We appreciated all who stopped by our booth.

​​Congratulations to Natalia Blaskovich, Reynolds and Kenline, L.L.P.

Major tort reform under way for Kentucky and Missouri which impacts many who have been injured and their litigation representatives.  In a nutshell, Kentucky lawmakers are proposing a contingency cap on attorney fees in medical malpractice cases and exempting peer review discussions from discovery.  Something which is currently in place and enforced in Missouri of which Kentucky is proposing to adopt is to require an affidavit of merit from at least one physician in medical malpractice claims. 

Missouri lawmakers are proposing to change a statute on torts which has been in effect since 1939, according to Litigation Finance Journal.  The proposal is directed at shortening the statute of limitations on filing personal injury claims by two years.  Currently the statute allows up to five years for a personal injury claim to be filed.  The  bill sponsored by  Sen. Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, suggests that the statute change from a five year to a three year statute of limitations.  As expected with any tort reform change, there are those who are for the Kentucky and Missouri proposals and those who are against.  Question is what is your position? 

For more about the article:   litigationfinancejournal.com/tort-reform-roundup-kentucky-missouri/
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​Today, Legal Medical Link, legal nurse consultant and founder, Marcelle Slobaszewski had the privilege of speaking with the LPN students at the Warrensburg Area Career Center (WACC) on the topic of ethics in nursing as well as defensible documentation and their impact on the legal community.  The topic spurred great discussion in the importance of incorporating ethics and integrity in the practice of nursing as well as the implications of veering from sound moral judgement and ethical standards set forth by the American Nurses Association (ANA).  The students flexed their knowledge with an ethical dilemma scenario affording them the opportunity to analyze, consider options, and ultimately commit to how, as nurses, they would intervene given the circumstances.  As if documenting in the actual medical record, the students later had the chance to defensibly document their interpretation of the scenario in combination with their care of the patient and its outcome. 

The ethical dilemma scenario was the perfect Segway into the second topic, defensible medical record documentation.  Emphasis was placed on the 6 principles of medical record documentation put forth by the ANA: 

• "DOCUMENTAION CHARACTERISTICS - accessible, accurate, relevant, consistent, auditable, clear, concise and complete, legible, and thoughtful/factual
• EDUCATION AND TRAINING" - studies show that there is still room for improvement in documenting patient care according to the nursing process 
• "POLICIES AND PROCEDURES - dictate the standard against which nursing practice is judged in disciplinary proceedings and in the court of law
• PROTECTION SYSTEMS - log off computer when moving away from the terminal
• DOCUMENTATION ENTRY COMPONENTS - must be accurate, valid, complete, authenticated (truthful), dated and timed, legible, and with use of standard terminology
• STANDARDIZED TERMINOLOGIES" 

Common charting errors to avoid rounded out the defensible documentation discussion.

Throughout the presentation Marcelle injected her experience having assisted with medical - legal case development in the capacity of a "behind the scenes" legal nurse consultant and testifying expert consultant, furthering the vital concept of ethical nursing practice and defensible documentation.  Examples of sound documentation versus poor documentation highlighting their advantages and disadvantages in litigation were presented and discussed as well.  In all, the students came away with the tools needed to build their nursing practice on solid ethical ground while incorporating defensible documentation, professional accountability, and a greater sense of personal integrity, thereby increasing their ability to defend their nursing practice in litigation.