Legal Nurse Consulting Principles and Practices

Julie Dickinson, MBA, BSN, RN, LNCCMs. Dickinson is a Senior Claims Analyst at Allied World Assurance Company, where she handles professional and general liability claims against the company’s health care entity insureds. She previously worked as a Legal Nurse Consultant at a defense law firm, Fontaine Alissi, P.C. Julie is past President of the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants and a recipient of its Distinguished Service Award. She is board-certified in legal nurse consulting and has lectured and published on numerous legal nursing topics. Anne Meyer, BSN, RN, LNCC Ms. Meyer is President of Med-Law Connection, Inc., a legal nurse consulting firm established in 2005. A registered nurse for 30 years, she serves as a consultant, educator, and expert witness for law firms, insurance companies, and health care systems, nationally. Anne is past chair of the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants Certification Board and an item writer for the LNCC examination. She is board-certified in legal nurse consulting and has lectured and published on numerous legal nursing topics.

SECTION 1. ESSENTIALS OF LEGAL NURSE CONSULTING; 1. History, Entry into Practice and Certification; 2. Professionalism, Ethics, Scope and Standards of Practice; SECTION 2. ESSENTIALS OF THE LAW; 3. Legal Fundamentals; 4. Elements of Proof in Negligence Claims; 5. Initiating Litigation, Discovery, and Disclosure; SECTION 3. MEDICAL RECORDS; 6. Defense Medical Examinations; 7. Sources of Medical Information; 8. Access to Medical Records; 9. Electronic Medical Records: An Overview; SECTION 4. CASE ANAYLSIS; 10. Elements of Case Analysis: Screening Medical Negligence Claims; 11. Case Analysis: Personal Injury; 12. Long-Term Care Litigation; 13. Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Product Liability Litigation; 14. Evaluating Toxic Tort Cases; 15. Workers’ Compensation Case Evaluation; 16. Evaluating Forensic Cases; 17. Correctional Healthcare and Civil Rights; 18. Employment Law and Occupational Health and Safety; 19. Informed Consent; 20. Medical Treatment Decisions: The Patient’s Choice; 21. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act and Health Maintenance Organization Litigation; SECTION 5. OTHER LEGAL NURSE CONSULTANT PRACTICES AREAS; 22. Risk and Patient Safety for the Legal Nurse Consultant; 23. The Life Care Planning Expert; 24. Medicare Set-Asides; 25. Healthcare Provider Licensure Investigations and Administrative Proceedings; 26. Fraud: Government and Private Sponsored Health Plans and General Case Evaluations; 27. The Role of the Legal Nurse Consultant in the Insurance Industry; 28. Bill Review: The Analysis of Claims for Healthcare Services; SECTION 6. LEGAL NURSE CONSULTRANT ROLES; 29. Legal Nurse Consultant Practice within a Law Firm; 30. The Independent Legal Nurse Consultant; 31. The Legal Nurse Consultant as Expert Witness; 32. The Expert Fact Witness; SECTION 7. LEGAL NURSE CONSULTANT SKILLS; 33. Communication with Attorneys’ Clients in the Medical Malpractice Arena; 34. Researching Medical Literature and Other Information; 35. Report Preparation Principles and Process; 36. Locating, Screening, and Communicating with Expert Witnesses; SECTION 8. CASE ADJUDICATION; 37. The Role of the Legal Nurse Consultant in the Preparation of Demonstrative Evidence; 38. Alternative Dispute Resolution: Arbitration, Mediation, and Other Settlement Modalities; 39. Trial Preparation and the Trial Process; Appendices