You want to get PAID for the medical records you review. Here’s your Professional Legal Nurse Consultant primer on correctly billing your attorney-client so you earn the maximum. No more guesswork. No estimating. Follow these steps to make it easy for you and your attorney when it comes to billing.
The big difference between billable and nonbillable work for Legal Nurse Consultants
As a Professional Legal Nurse Consultant, your work is almost exclusively “billable” work. This means you’ll earn money for the legal nurse consultant services you provide. “Nonbillable” work, on the other hand, is work performed for which you can’t bill.
Let’s look at examples of both.
Billable work examples Reviewing medical records, reviewing medical bills, summarizing medical records, summarizing medical bills, drafting a chronology, researching medical conditions.
Nonbillable work examples
Preparing your invoice for work you performed, working on your own company’s marketing projects, trainings you attend, doing administrative work in your business, attending meetings not related to client assignments.
Six-minute billing cycle defined Lawyers usually bill their clients in six-minute increments. Every six minutes of time equals .10 of an hour.
As a PLNC, you might set your hourly rate at $150 per hour to review medical records. If you’re earning $150 per hour and you review a medical record for 30 minutes, you’d bill your attorney for .50 which means you’d earn $75.
Interestingly, for tasks that take you less than .10, you’ll normally round it up to .10 which is 6 minutes of time. Of course, it’s your prerogative if you want to not bill at all for tasks that take such little time.
For example, let’s say you receive an email from your attorney’s paralegal on a new case with instructions, descriptions, and the link to the medical records. If it took you close to six minutes to review this, you’d bill for .10. On your invoice you’d list the date, the description of “Review email from [Name of Paralegal] regarding instructions, description of facts, and medical records link” and the amount of time which would be .10.
You’re expected to be precise in your description on your invoice. This means including details on exactly what you did for the time you’re billing.
Ask yourself if what you did was billable or nonbillable work You’ll likely never bill for nonbillable work. Just know that the time it takes you to draft your invoice is on yourtime, not theirs. The first time you put together an invoice with your billable time on it, it could take you thirty minutes or longer. As you prepare more and more invoices it’ll take you much less time. Regardless, that’s part of doing business and you can’t bill for that.
One very important concept you should know is that you should ALWAYS be truthful in the amount of time billed. One overbill and your job with that attorney could be over. Worse yet, your reputation could be ruined. It’s never worth it to bill more than you actually worked.
The good news is that determining what’s billable and nonbillable work gets easier. As a matter-of-fact, you’ll likely master this distinction on your very first project.
P.S. Want to know how to hike your nursing income as a Professional Legal Nurse Consultant? Go here.
Good news! Professional Legal Nurse Consultants (PLNC) handleall kindsof cases. There are approximatey 1.32 MILLION attorneys in the United States according to the American Bar Association. That’s a lot of lawyers who could use your skills. There are at least 16 different types of legal cases you could work on.
You’re a nurse. You’re qualified to be a Professional Legal Nurse Consultant. Let’s look at the legal nurse consultant benefits you’ll get when you use your nursing skills in legal cases. You get to be valued for your nursing and acquired legal knowledge and you earn money doing it.
Let’s talk about the sixteen types of cases you’ll be able to work on as a PLNC Medical Malpractice: By far, this is the most common type of case you’ll work on. You’d be surprised how often medical and nursing malpractice comes up in every day clinical practice. We’re talking “negligence”. When a professional nurse commits “negligence” it’s considered “medical malpractice” and, even more specifically, it’s called “nursing malpractice”. Who better than you to review the medical record when “nursing malpractice” is at issue?
Personal injury: You’ve heard the television commercials for car wrecks, slip and falls, liability at establishments. Inevitably, the individual will claim a personal injury. Often this is in addition to property damage. For example, in an automobile accident, the rear-ended driver could have both personal injury and property damage. You’d be reviewing the relevant medical records both past and present.
Product liability: As nurses, you’ve administered medications and used durable medical equipment. Well, these products can potentially cause harm. In addition, your everyday consumer products also fall into this category.
Toxic tort: Tort cases are basically negligence cases. Hazardous materials, lead poisoning, and radiation are examples of toxic materials that can be a part of a negligence case.
Criminal defense: This is when someone is charged with a crime. Potential cases you might find yourself reviewing are driving under the influence (DUI), assault and/or battery, just name a couple. There are various stages of charging including arrest, arraignment, grand jury investigation, plea bargain and/or trial. Even appeal. Often times there are accompanying medical records that need reviewing.
Elder Law: This area of the law has seen significant increases in recent years. Elder law includes anything from elder abuse and neglect to an estate contest, advanced directive, or even a conservatorship. Your job is to review the medical records and give your opinion.
Workers’ Compensation: The goal of workers’ compensation laws is that of wage replacement and to provide medical benefits when an employee is injured during the job. There are specific workers’ compensation courts that handle these types of cases. You’re integrally involved as the medical benefit is central to the case.
Social Security Disability: When an individual makes a claim for supplemental security income, the medical evidence is critical to their case. There could be medical records from multiple providers to be reviewed.
Probate: Often contests on the decedent’s state of mind might be at issue in a last will and testament contest, a living will, or even a durable power of attorney for healthcare. The healthcare providers medical records will need to be carefully looked at in order to make this determination.
Juvenile Justice: This area of the law revolves around children and adolescents. Not only could it involve crimes, but child welfare as well. The juvenile court system is usually separate from that of adults.
Family Law: Domestic relationships can include issues including violence, custody, adoption, guardianship, surrogacy, and paternity to name a few. As a result, there are numerous medical records to review.
Healthcare Law: The fun thing about this area of the law is that it largely centers around laws, regulations, and public policies. At issue could be access to health care, perhaps food or drug regulation, and other manner of medically-related issues.
Pro Bono: “Pro bono public” translates into for the public good. This refers to legal services rendered to those unable to pay. As a PLNC, you may be able to assist an attorney in pro bono matters.
Litigation: Litigation is broken down into two categories: civil and criminal. Lawsuits involve individuals and/or business entities. Litigation can go on for short or long periods of time. Often, the parties opt to settle the matter in order to resolve it.
eDiscovery: With the advent of technology, finding out about each other’s cases has become much easier. “Discovering” the other side’s facts and theories is done through electronic requests. Plus, the medical record is usually provided in its digital format making it able to sent via email to you to review. As with any electronic data, there could be texts, emails, images, and metadata to review in addition to the electronic health record.
Administrative Law: This refers to disciplinary action. For licensed healthcare providers, such as nurses, the Board of Nursing has the ability to proceed with disciplinary action against a nurse. Often the issue is related to nursing care.
There’re so many areas of practice where you can make a difference. Be open. And, you’ll broaden your skill-set.
As a Professional Legal Nurse Consultant (PLNC) you’re a KEY part of the legal team! Your role is in LITIGATION SUPPORT, which is an essential part of the case. No matter what side of the case you’re on, your PLNC services are needed!
It’s good to know expert witnesses are required in medical malpractice lawsuits. This means there’ll always be a need for your PLNC services.
Your Professional Legal Nurse Consultant Services up close You can provide lots of services for attorneys. Below are the top ten services you’ll get to use as a PLNC:
Assist with communication. You’re on board to simplify and explain the nursing and medical care to the legal team.
Educate. The individuals who need to be educated are the attorney, judge, jury, and members of the legal team. In PLNC practice this could mean tutoring the attorney about the case.
Research. It’s so much easier than in the past. No need to go to the library when you can do an internet search. Don’t forget to ask to review the policy and procedure manuals.
Review, Analyze, and Summarize. Read the medical records, analyze what’s relevant, and then summarize them. It’s that simple.
Assess Damages. Look for the cause of the damages. Remember there could be other contributing factors.
Liaison with Other Experts. Who better than you to locate other experts? You’re the liaison among all the expert witnesses.
Interview Witnesses. Sometimes you’ll need to interview witnesses and then explain what you’ve gleaned to your attorney.
Draft Documents. “Draft” is just a glorified word for “writing” or “compiling” documents. You can use forms.
Assist with Case Strategies. One of your skills is the ability to come up with questions that need to be answered. Plus, you can incorporate new, or spot missing, information.
Provide Support. From preparing witnesses to assisting with trial prep, your PLNC will be put to good use.
There you have it. The top ten PLNC services you can provide, and get paid for, to attorneys.
P.S. Be sure you get our FREE Guide to hike your income as a PLNC!
WATCH the video so you can be successful as a Professional Legal Nurse Consultant (PLNC). Let’s quickly cover the 5 tips you need to be a successful PLNC. In the video, you’ll get takeaways you can use today. It’s well worth your time!
Five Tips To Be A Successful Professional Legal Nurse Consultant
Take initiative. Constanty evaluate yourself and your performance. This is the best way to achieve career success. Pitch new solutions. Be willing to take on more projects. (You get paid by the hour, so why not?).
Use your nursing experience to generate income as a Registered Nurse. It’s quality not quantity. Years of experience don’t matter as much as the types of clinical experience you’ve had.
Continuing nursing education and development. The pursuit of nursing knowledge is what matters. If you don’t know something, look it up.
Communicate your skills as a legal nurse consultant (+Bonus Tip). You’ll be interacting with the entire legal team: attorneys, clients of attorneys, paralegals, legal assistants, and othersl
Give attention to detail. The big picture is important, but don’t forget to focus on the details. Sometimes a chronology is useful when there’re a lot of facts.
Ask yourself “Would I hire me?” if I were this attorney.
You’re the “expert” and as a PLNC you’re valued for your expertise.
P.S. Want to expand your income, get our FREE Guide here.
Your Professional Legal Nurse Consultant (PLNC) Certificationresume is your personal, and most significant, marketing tool that’ll help you shine in your legal nurse consulting career. When you reach out to attorneys to assist them by reviewing medical records in cases, your resume speaks volumes. That’s why it’s essential you take this opportunity to make the most memorable impression!
Your resume should be designed to show off your skills and talents. It’s your opportunity to boast, but in a somewhat humble way.
Showing an attorney your nursing skills, experience, and education is an easily digestible format is absolutely key. The attorney doesn’t want to go fishing around for this essential info.
Five Tips To Make Your Resume STAND OUT!
1.Organize your resume into sections. There should be a rhyme and reason why you’ve grouped corresponding information into the same section.
Use These Sections:
Contact Info
Education
Experience
Licenses and Certifications
Publications (if none, delete this section)
Memberships and Activities
Hobbies and Interests (not required, but definitely makes you more relatable)
2. Do NOT include this information: Don’t include the actual word “Resume”. It’s clear that this is your resume. Career Objectives: while you’re used to objectives being part of a nursing school syllabus, don’t include career objectives on your resume. You’ll essentially be saying why you want the job in your email to the attorney.
3. Send your resume via email. You don’t need to print it out and mail it. Make it easy for the attorney to open the PDF of your resume by telling the attorney in your email that you’ve attached your resume.
4. Research the attorney and the law firm, or company, ahead of time. This way, you can include the information you’ve gleaned from their website in your cover email. It shows you’ve done your research. That’s impressive!
5.Keep your resume to 1 – 2 pages. You can say in your cover email that you’ve attached your resume, but you have a more extensive curriculum vitae (CV) if they want it. This shows you’re mindful of the attorney’s time in not providing a long document to review, but that you have it if they want it.
As it’s been said, remember this expression and do it: “Measure twice, cut once”. Read and reread your resume BEFORE you click “Send”. You don’t want to have any typos in it.
Go get ‘em, PLNCs, with a striking resume that’s sure to make you shine.
You want to get medical records to review from attorneys. Let’s talk about cost-effective ways to market yourself. No more guessing how to get attorney-clients. Use these effective tips, pointers, and strategies to get yourself maximizing your potential!
All of these methods work. You, as the Professional Legal Nurse Consultant (PLNC) decide what works for you. Give them all a try. It’s all about getting medical records to review so you can give your opinion in cases and in potential cases.
Selected cost-effective marketing tools: Networking: Also known as meeting people. Quite frankly, the best and often easier way to get medical records is to know an attorney who wants your PLNC services. The next best way is to ask attorneys and others if they know any other attorneys who might need help reviewing and analyzing medical records in legal matters.
Attend legal seminars and events: A great way to meet attorneys and law firms is to attend legal seminars on medical malpractice or other legal issues related to healthcare. These events can be virtual or in-person. They’re great networking resources and at the same time, you’ll be educating yourself about legal issues that may be unfamiliar to you.
Attorneys take mandatory classes to keep their law licenses. Attorneys need Continuing Legal Education (CLE) to keep their law licenses active. Each state has its own requirements, but attorneys must obtain the requisite number of CLE annually. Knowing this, PLNCs should consider attending a CLE. Better yet, offer to set up a table at a CLE and have brochures about your PLNC business to hand out. Be sure you have business cards and that all your information is current.
Make it a habit to check on local event listings, especially on topics of interest to attorneys. You’d be surprised how many lawyers attend local events on legal or political topics. Even neighborhood association meetings often have attorneys present. After all, attorneys have to live somewhere, right? Or, they might be representing the neighborhood association or a particular neighbor.
Attend events at your local area law school, college, or university. There may be open seminars available at the academic center that you can also attend. Don’t forget to bring your business cards with you.
When attending networking functions with attorneys, ask them for their business cards and send them a follow up email letting them know it was a pleasure to meet them. This is also an opportunity to send your brochure or follow the email with a phone call. On the phone, ask the attorney if they received your email and if the firm needs your services at that time.Also, ask if you can put them on your mailing list.Whether it is an email, direct mail or both, you should establish a client or potential client list that you periodically send updates about some of the work you’ve been doing.
Ask friends and family for names of attorneys and law firms they know. They might be willing to pass your resume along. You need to carry brochures, and business cards, everywhere you go, because you never know who you might meet.
You can also utilize job posting websites. Much like the traditional classified section of a newspaper, these online job boards post jobs let you view and apply to jobs. There are also online websites that will allow you to post your resume where prospective clients may also be searching.
Another invaluable resource is the Jurex Expert Directory. The Jurex Expert Directory is the place attorneys and prospective employers look to locate a Professional Legal Nurse Consultant. Its sole purpose is to help get you hired. Your personal profile will help attorneys determine if you’re a match for their specific case needs. They’ll be able to search based on multiple criteria, such as location and specialty. Attorneys can access the directory for free, but only after they have registered. And only PLNCs are allowed to place profiles on the directory, so you’ll be in a select pool of legal nurse consultants.
Search listings of lawsuits filed. Whether you’re looking online at your business newspaper or journal, PLNCs are looking for cases where they can be of assistance. Find recent malpractice cases or even personal injury cases in your area. Then, branch out and research medical malpractice cases or other cases in different jurisdictions. Your goal? More clients. You can achieve that with even just a little diligence.
Another good resource for PLNCs is to join the Professional Legal Nurse Consultant Community Facebook Group which is an exclusive benefit of being a PLNC. In this Professional Legal Nurse Consultant Community, you’ll know you’re in a private group where you can stay informed of the latest trends in the industry and keep connected to other PLNCs.This is a great networking tool as it affords you the luxury of staying close with other PLNCs.
There are multiple ways to market yourself. Take one step today by picking from the list above and do it. Let’s hear which one you selected to do first by commenting below.
P.S. Get your Bonus: The Newest eBook Live Life on Purpose: 7 Steps To Live The Life You Love. Go here.
