Matthew Jonathan Clark Canyou tell us about the typesof cases that you provideassistanceon in your capacity as anexpert witness? To date I have aided in a variety of cases as an expert witness. My first venture in including being an expert witness as a part of my career focused on medical billing and coding. I had a unique expertise as a physician who has lectured on medical coding from a surgeon’s perspective, and this insight allowed me to have the particular skills to evaluate records and determine if the documents supported the diagnostic codes and procedures billed and if they should be paid services. Recently, I have branched out to review cases involving determining the most likely cause of injury or death of clients, both in regard to a traumatic event that necessitated medical care and to medical errors that resulted in unexpected and avoidable complications. These cases have involved different aspects of my speciality from hearing loss all the way to severe airway compromise. HowcananENTexpert support clients in their cases? As an otolaryngologist, I have expertise in a narrow focus of medical and surgical issues involving the head and neck region. Many clients have developed hearing loss from occupational noise exposure or traumatic events involving firearms or explosives, and benefit frommy expertise in evaluating the type and severity of hearing loss and ruling out other potential causes. My speciality also involves diagnosis and treatment of cancers of the head and neck, and I have provided expert opinion regarding possible relationship to environmental or occupational chemical exposure and the onset of their malignancy. I am also frequently contacted to evaluate complications of surgical procedures in the head and neck region to determine if the complication resulted in management that was outside the standard of care. What is the typical process involved in this? When I am contacted to provide an opinion in a case, I am generally provided the appropriate medical records to review and often will set up a time to take a detailed history and, if possible, perform my own examination of the client. If needed, I will then discuss with the client’s attorney regarding arranging additional testing. If there are any specific questions regarding a differential diagnosis, variation in management of the situation, I will then research current published literature in formulating my opinion. As additional expert opinions become available, I will review and consider if a rebuttal report is necessary. As the case progresses, I typically will work with the client’s attorney to prepare for deposition and/or live testimony. In the area of billing and coding, I will review the specific CMS guidelines as well as any other insurance contracts and regulations to determine my opinion on whether the billed procedures were determined to be medically necessary and covered procedures. Howhas your practice as amedical anda legal professional developed duringyour time in the field? I started working as an expert in billing and coding. After reviewing several sets of records and becoming more comfortable in writing expert reports, I agreed to 68 WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM | JUL 2022 EXPERT WITNESS The most significant impact for all those involved in personal injury litigation has been the rapidly increasing cost of care.
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