MY LEGAL LIFE 29 education process and accountability of staff. Then, through experience, I came to understand decision-making by various levels of leaders in managing a clinical or crisis situation. When I am analysing a case, I am thinking more broadly as to what was expected by the nurse, the team and the healthcare organisation versus what was expected just by the nurse. Could you provide a brief overview of the services that Ortega & Associates offers, particularly in the realm of legal nurse consulting? As a legal nurse consultant, I support both plaintiff and defence attorneys. I can do this in two ways: either as a consultant building the case with the attorneys in the background, or as an expert witness. As a consultant in these roles, we provide screening services to determine merit and assess for alleged damages or injuries, along with identifying contributory factors. We summarise, translate and interpret medical records, assist with discovery, prepare chronologies of relevant medical events, discuss and describe the standards of care, identify deviations from the standard of care, identify issues of tampering with medical records, assist with preparation for mediation, arbitration or court, and can even identify and recommend potential defendants. A second type of service I provide is IMEs (independent medical exams) in which I attend appointments with patients to ensure the Code of Civil Procedure is always followed by the physician. I then provide a written medical exam report and recording to the attorneys for use in their case. Many people might not be aware of the role of a legal nurse consultant. Could you shed some light on how you work with attorneys and the unique perspective you bring to legal cases? As consultants, we can work closely on building an initial case. In this situation I would review the medical records and the extent of the event and provide a clinical picture to the attorney in a way they can understand and ask questions One of the most challenging aspects as a LNC is being brought into cases late because many attorneys feel they can do the initial work on their own.
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