Expert witness
10 Tips for Writing a Polished Expert Witness Report
You are interested in writing a polished expert witness report. You know an expert witness’s report is one of the most critical documents in a medical malpractice suit. In states that require them, the report lays out the opinions of the expert witness. Once the report is written it becomes difficult if not impossible for…
Read MoreNursing Expert Witness Reports: 10 Tips for Presenting Facts and Opinions
I have written or read thousands of nursing expert witness reports over the last 26 years. Your nursing expert witness report will be read by the attorneys on both sides, claims adjusters, the risk manager, the judge, and opposing experts. You must be able to craft a powerful nursing expert witness report in order to…
Read MoreThe Importance of a Degree in Raising the Credibility of a Nursing Expert Witness
Expert witnesses have higher credibility with a degree[/caption]Legal nurse consultants are in demand today, not just for their research and interpretation skills, but also because of their credibility as nursing expert witnesses. LNCs are not required to hold a degree – an RN license and several years of experience should be enough to open up…
Read MoreExpert Witnesses: Supporting Your Nursing Opinion
Expert witnesses need to provide an attorney with evidence to support their opinions. I am an independent legal nurse consultant with over a decade of experience who has reviewed dozens of expert cases and thousands of “behind the scenes” cases. I have provided deposition and trial testimony. Communicating this evidence of your opinion can be…
Read MoreExpert Witness Evaluation of Liability for Healthcare Fall
Injurious healthcare falls are one of the most common reasons why providers are sued. Spinal cord injuries, head injuries, and fractures make these serious cases for attorneys and nursing expert witnesses. Many states have regulations that govern who is qualified to act as a liability expert. These factors make a strong expert witness: a combination…
Read MoreReporting expert witness opinions
You’ve gotten a case as a nursing expert witness. Now what? What are your expert witness opinions? Forming expert witness opinions Read all of the pertinent documents before you offer an opinion. It is rare that a nursing expert witness has to read every page of a medical record, and most attorneys would not be…
Read MoreLegal nurse consultants: How to lose a client in one report
Want repeat business? Do you want to know how to lose a client – so you don’t? Here are some report “don’ts”. Striking the wrong key Relying on the computer to function as the only proof reader of your LNC report is sure to miss a few common typographical or grammatical errors. An example I…
Read MoreWhy doctors should not be testifying to nursing standards of care
Nurses are the right people to testify about nursing standards of care, right? It was not always so self-evident. We can thank the Sullivan case for reinforcing the validity of this approach. The Illinois case called Sullivan V. Edward Hospital, 806 NE 645 (Ill. 2004) involved a man who climbed over side rails and was…
Read MoreAvoid Bad Debt: Advice to LNCs and Experts
Every business has a small amount of billing that cannot be collected on or bad debt. Your LNC company may work very hard to ensure that you collect every dollar we were owed. Out of the hundreds of cases that you handle, a few result in bad debt. 1. Missed deadline Here’s what can happen.…
Read MoreDeposition review by expert witnesses
I was recently asked this question: “I am a plaintiff expert. I have written an affidavit of merit in a case and now the attorney has sent me depositions to review. What do I do?” The initial understanding about what occurred in a case is often changed when the attorney takes depositions. He or she…
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