Requesting, Reviewing, and Summarizing Medical Records: Overcoming Top Challenges

Agenda / Content Covered

1. Overview: The Role of Medical Records in Litigation
   10:00 - 10:30, Mila Carlson
2. Obstacles in Obtaining Medical Records
   10:30 - 11:30, Mila Carlson
   1. Dangers Posed by Failing to Order All Records Available
   2. Working With Difficult Providers
   3. Troubleshooting Issues - Refusals and Delays
   4. Problematic Medical Record Requests - Avoiding Wording That Causes Issues
   5. When the Request Isn't Sent to the Right Person
   6. Requesting Records in Discovery - Key Challenges
   7. Issues With Tracking and Managing Requests
3. Problems With Electronic Medical Records
   11:45 - 12:45, Mila Carlson
   1. Obtaining EMRs: Getting Past Roadblocks
   2. Key Challenges in Organizing Electronic Records
   3. Practical Guidance for Sorting Through Voluminous Records
   4. EMR Metadata and Audit Trails
   5. Addressing Accuracy Issues
4. Key Challenges in Putting the Pieces Together
   12:45 - 1:45, Susie McGregor-Huyer
   1. Ineffective Organization: What Works and What Doesn't
   2. Challenges When Dealing With Numerous Providers
   3. Thorny Issues Related to Missing Records and Providers
   4. Challenges Created by Patient and Provider Name Changes
   5. Specific Issues With Old and Illegible Records
   6. How to Avoid Overlooking Key Details
5. Preparing Chronologies and Drafting Memoranda - Top Challenges
   2:15 - 2:45, Susie McGregor-Huyer
6. Handling PHI - Problems and Pitfalls
   2:45 - 3:45, Mila Carlson
   1. Review of Key HIPAA Terms and Concepts
   2. Overcoming Difficulties With Obtaining Authorization
   3. Risks in Failing to Safeguard PHI
   4. Issues With Poor Storage and Management of Records
   5. Transmitting PHI Electronically - Avoiding Legal Perils
   6. Top Oversights That Put Your Law Firm at Risk
7. Ethical Issues Facing Paralegals
   4:00 - 5:00, Susie McGregor-Huyer
   1. Preventing UPL
   2. Mandatory Disclosure
   3. Confidentiality Concerns
   4. Ethical Preparation of Medical Evidence and Experts

Accreditation Details:

Mila Carlson PhD, MSHSA is the founder and president of Mila Carlson & Associates, P.C., Nurse Consulting/Nurse Life Care Planning, based in Rockford, Illinois. They assist defense or plaintiff attorneys with any medical-related cases, such as medical malpractice, personal injury, criminal or family law; as well as preparing life care plans/medical cost projections/Medicare Set Asides (MSAs), and providing expert witness testimony for these plans. Ms. Carlson has served as adjunct faculty for the University of St. Francis. She is a member of the Alpine Kiwanis Club of Rockford and has served on the Board of Directors, as well as the Charities Committee. Ms. Carlson's professional affiliations include the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants, the American Association of Nurse Life Care Planners, and the National Alliance of Medicare Set-Aside Professionals (NAMSAP). She earned her nursing degree from the SwedishAmerican Hospital School of Nursing, Rockford, Illinois; her Bachelor of Science in Health Arts and Masters of Science in Health Services Administration from the University of St. Francis, Joliet, Illinois; and her PhD in health administration from Warren National University, Cheyenne, Wyoming. Ms. Carlson also completed her legal nurse consulting course and certification exam through the Vickie Milazzo Institute and her life care planning and Medicare set-aside courses through Kelynco. She is a frequent lecturer to both paralegals and attorneys on her areas of practice and ethics.

Susie McGregor-Huyer R.N., M.S. , is the founder and principal of Medical Damages, based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Medical Damages is a Life Care Planning and Nurse Consulting business designed to assist attorneys and insurance companies in looking both forward and backward in medically related cases in the areas of Personal Injury, Workers Compensation and Medical Malpractice. Ms. McGregor-Huyer has both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Nursing. Post graduate educational experience includes Legal Nurse Consulting, Forensic Nursing, Medicare Set Asides, Nurse Life Care Planning, Geriatrics and Case Management. Ms. McGregor-Huyer also has experience as a Paramedic, Emergency and Critical Care nursing, and is currently clinically active in Hospice and Assisted Living/Memory Care. Affiliations include American Association of Nurse Life Care Planners, International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals, Juris Education, Research and Knowledge, and PATH International. She is a frequent lecturer to paralegals and attorneys in the areas of nursing, medical records analysis and ethics.