While handling product liability cases, the services of a medical review company are valuable for lawyers representing both plaintiffs and defendants. As product liability lawsuits are cases involving a large number of plaintiffs spread across many states, the volume of medical records to be collected and reviewed is also huge. The review team must be experienced, have the necessary expertise, and should be able to quickly perform the review. Experienced reviewers can ensure dedicated litigation support and valuable medical insight that are most essential for attorneys handling such cases.
Product liability cases that need medical record review include: defective medical devices (design defect or manufacturing defect), contaminated medical devices, medical devices without adequate warnings or those marketed in a misleading way, pharmaceutical products that allegedly caused health issues or even death, defective pharmaceutical products, or drugs prescribed for off-label uses.
A medical review company’s record review process includes the following steps:
Medical Chart Review
- Medical chart review to understand the personal injury caused
- Medical records organization and bookmarking
- Evaluation of the severity of the injury and its effect on the plaintiff
Medical Case Summary and Chronology
- Preparation of medical case summary and chronology
- Abstraction of details – plaintiff’s demographic data, defective product ID, etc.
Information about Plaintiffs
- The review solutions provide details of multiple plaintiffs involved
- Distinguish claims that require more extensive review
Plaintiff Fact Sheet and Other Evidence
- All relevant sources are identified and scrutinized
- Plaintiff fact sheets and other sources are comprehensively reviewed
Identification of Missing Documentation
- Errors, omissions with the medical records are identified
A medical record review team must be experienced, have the necessary expertise, and should be able to quickly perform the review. Professional medical review teams comprise medically trained professionals such as legal nurse consultants, and physicians who can – study the medical precedents such as best medical practices, standard of care and so on, clearly research and understand aspects to prove or negate liability, and understand the actual extent of medical damages as well as the likelihood of causation. They are knowledgeable in medical matters and can prepare informed medical reports on relevant medical issues that are specific to each case. They will also provide citations in published sources and references, which are very useful for attorneys and their legal teams as a credible source of facts.
MOS has extensive experience in providing product liability medical record review services to help attorneys identify the strengths and weaknesses of the case quite early during the trial preparation. For professional support, talk to us at (800)-670-2809!
