You’ve just been given 194 pages of medical records to review as a Professional Legal Nurse Consultant (PLNC). What do you do first? Just follow these six EASY steps and you’ll have them knocked out in no time. Don’t worry. Follow this path each and every time whether you’re working on a medical malpractice case, personal injury matter, or social security disability claim.
Six Easy Steps to Help You Dissect the Medical Records
- Read the email instructions. Be sure to re-read the email so you don’t miss a deadline.
- Write down the sections by name and include page numbers. You can expect there’ll be Nurses Notes, Medication Administration Record, and the like. Separate by section and include exact page numbers.
- Read the pages. This time for content. Content is king.
- Notate missing documents. Invariably, there are missing documents you’d expect to be included in the medical records.
- Take notes. You’re going to be compiling your legal nurse consultant report, so jot down important facts.
- Write up your report. The legal nurse consultant merit review is not necessarily lengthy, it’s the content that matters.
You’ve been reading electronic health records in your every day nursing practice. Apply that nursing knowledge here.
P.S. Have you ever read a medical record and realized a document was missing? Comment below.
