Where the medical facility or doctor’s office is located
A critical element of a personal injury claim is the client’s medical care and resulting records that help to support their claim for losses. More and more plaintiff law firms are helping their clients manage their medical care in intentional, creative, and productive ways. This has proven mutually beneficial because the client is relieved of a stressor during a rough time, and the attorneys are able to get as much compensation as possible on behalf of their client.
In order to help clients manage medical care, many law firms are adding a medical care coordinator position to their team. We have seen success using registered nurses to fill this nuanced position. They have the benefit of being able to decipher the client’s medical records and determine what additional care and treatment may be appropriate for the client to receive. This position works well if the medical care coordinator is responsible for reviewing all new cases within 30 days. Ideally, they review the file and pertinent medical records, ensuring that the firm has obtained all test results and applicable records. As we know, sometimes clients present with multiple injuries, and the more severe injuries take precedence.
However, a medical care coordinator can ensure that all injuries have been documented and the pertinent records obtained. This provides a full-scope, 360-degree view of the client’s condition as it relates to their personal injury claim. It also provides critical information the medical care coordinator would need in order to follow up with the client and ensure they are receiving the treatment they need for all their injuries. In addition to medical record review and follow-up, a firm’s medical care coordinator should be knowledgeable and be able to provide clients with information like:
Creating a medical care coordinator position at your firm also serves to eliminate the “bathroom cleaning problem.” Here’s the idea: If everyone’s responsible for cleaning the bathroom, no one’s responsible. Paralegals, legal assistants, case managers, and attorneys deal with heavy caseloads requiring lots of time and attention. If there is some responsibility placed on all of your team members for the critical task of medical records review and medical care coordination, it’s possible that no one is really giving it the necessary amount of attention.
Sometimes the process of nuanced medical record review and effective coordination of a client’s care can get lost in the already enormous to-do piles on other team members’ desks. Too, they may not have the medical knowledge needed to spot red flags in medical records or pick up on potentially overlooked complaints your client has. If you don’t have a dedicated position at your firm that serves to ensure clients’ medical care is a priority, then you have a team of people who may be thinking someone else is taking care of the task!
Filling this position at your firm doesn’t mean you can ignore training for your other team members. Ensuring your team is educated on medical terminology is vital. You don’t want adjusters being the ones to educate your team members on medical terminology! The more your team understands, the better able to assist and support clients they’ll be. If you hired a nurse to fill the medical care coordinator position at your firm, they are the logical choice to help train your team. They can develop a training program for the case management and intake team that covers common medical terminology, how to assist with medical referrals, and what to look for in medical records.
When these teams know what to look and listen for, they can be a powerful ally to your medical care coordinator. They will be better equipped to know when to have the medical care coordinator conduct another file review or bring them back into the fold on a particular case if needed. This approach may even add value to the case, as multiple parties are speaking with the client about their treatment and injuries. It helps ensure no red flag symptom or diagnosis slips through the cracks or does not make it into the demand. Also, your team will be able to develop more empathy for the client as they gain a real understanding of what each client is going through. It will help to strengthen their connections and relationships with clients. It can be easy to become desensitized over the years, as a member of a legal team, to the pain and hardships our clients are forced to endure through no fault of their own. Allowing your team space to understand, on a deeper level, what their clients are going through is impactful.
Sometimes, clients are embarrassed to admit that they’re in pain or that their pain is going unmanaged. When you have a team that is well-equipped to listen to and understand your clients, you will be better able to serve and support them. If a client knows that your firm has a medical care coordinator, they will feel less like they’re alone and be more open to reach out and discuss their issues. Their issues may be related to medical concerns, an inability to pay a copay, concerns about ongoing medical costs, or difficulty getting to and from appointments. No matter what the issue is, having a sympathetic and knowledgeable person to turn to will help to improve the client experience drastically.
The medical care coordinator should also work to build relationships with medical providers and grow that core network so your firm is better able to serve your clients. This involves establishing relationships with doctors’ offices and medical facilities and building trust and a reliable rapport with them. Being able to get appointments quickly is key to avoiding gaps in treatment and unnecessary pain. This is incredibly important since many medical offices are struggling with staffing issues post-pandemic.
It’s also important that we’ve created the kind of relationship where the provider’s office calls us if our client isn’t being compliant with treatment. That will allow us to reach out to the client and have a conversation about their treatment. We can ask questions like:
This may help determine the root cause of why a client is not appearing for their appointments and help ensure they remain compliant with medical treatment.
Taking the time to properly onboard your clients is important. This means that you set the stage for a relationship that allows them to be comfortable sharing information with you. Remember, you’re relying on them to be willing to open up to you about intimate details regarding their health and overall medical condition. That can be tough for some people. Setting the right tone at the very beginning will go a long way towards creating a healthy, productive relationship. A comprehensive onboarding process will ensure that clients share information regarding all of their injuries, not just the ones they were treated for in the emergency room.
The ultimate goal of the medical care coordinator position is to ensure that the client’s treatment is on schedule, their pain is being managed, and that the client is compliant with their treatment. Your firm aims to get your clients fairly compensated for their injuries. The road to recovery for many clients is long and difficult. Supporting them throughout this process is vital. In doing so, you’ll create raving fans of your brand, your team, and your law firm.
