Attorneys continually struggle with how to pay for the cost of reviewing cases for merit.  Often less than 25% of cases that cross their desks are meritorious.  Nancy Y. Boyd RN/CLNC has suggestions for attorneys that would like to assess quickly, and cost effectively, if a case is meritorious and worth their time, effort, and law firm's resources. The number one key to not having the cost come out of your law firm's pocket is to be open with your clients about this cost from the moment they present their potential case to you.  They are coming to you for help and they are, in most instances, willing to pay for this essential, initial service.  If you offer your potential clients one or more of the following options you keep them  feeling in control of their case until the point you really know whether it is a case you will accept or not.  Here are tried and true options for you and your potential clients: Scenario #1 - Upon obtaining the medical records from your client, collect a $400 Review for Merit fee .  Inform the potential client that this fee will be forwarded on to NYB Med-Legal, Inc., with their records, and a certified legal nurse consultant will review their records and provide a summary report on the strengths and weaknesses of the case.   Generally speaking $400 is sufficient for a brief review and report for merit.  Extensive reviews involving great detail or copious medical records will only be done if requested by the attorney under retainer and an agreed upon rate. Scenario #2 - Provide potential clients with the contact information for Nancy Y. Boyd RN/CLNC at NYB Med-Legal, Inc.  Inform them that you would like them to work with your nurse consultant through the review for merit process.   NYB Med-Legal, Inc. will collect the initial Review for Merit fee directly from the client and complete the review and report prior to your law firm becoming more involved.  The summary letter will be sent to the potential client and a copy will be forwarded to the attorney.  At that point you will be able to have an informed discussion with the client.  (If extensive additional work is necessary by the nurse, such as chronologies, depo questions, etc. the subsequent fees will be done under retainer through the law firm.) Scenario #3 - For cases you are quite sure you will take on , but still need a review for merit, contact Nancy Y. Boyd RN/CLNC at NYB Med-Legal, Inc. to arrange for shipping of the medical records and a retainer fee .  Provide your timelines for completion of the review, your likely theory for the case, and whether you believe you will also need NYB Med-Legal to locate expert witnesses for your case.  You will receive a prompt review for merit, CVs for potential experts, and additional services as requested by you.  You will determine, at all times, through ongoing discussion with the nurse consultant, how many hours are approved for services rendered so you will not be surprised by expenses you did not authorize . Often our attorneys are pleasantly surprised that a case they did not think had merit, actually does, based on the nurse's knowledge of the medical record and standards of care.  Additionally, many times we save you considerable time and expense on a case you thought had merit, but after our review, you find out was not meritorious, after all.   Save your valuable time and resources and consider an organized plan with NYB Med-Legal, Inc. for handling the important issue of case review for merit.

Frequently Asked Questions

 


Q: "What ways can I pay for a review for merit?

A:

Attorneys continually struggle with how to pay for the cost of reviewing cases for merit.  Often less than 25% of cases that cross their desks are meritorious.  Nancy Y. Boyd RN/CLNC has suggestions for attorneys that would like to assess quickly, and cost effectively, if a case is meritorious and worth their time, effort, and law firm's resources.

The number one key to not having the cost come out of your law firm's pocket is to be open with your clients about this cost from the moment they present their potential case to you.  They are coming to you for help and they are, in most instances, willing to pay for this essential, initial service.  If you offer your potential clients one or more of the following options you keep them  feeling in control of their case until the point you really know whether it is a case you will accept or not.  Here are tried and true options for you and your potential clients:

Scenario #1 - Upon obtaining the medical records from your client, collect a $400 Review for Merit fee.  Inform the potential client that this fee will be forwarded on to NYB Med-Legal, Inc., with their records, and a certified legal nurse consultant will review their records and provide a summary report on the strengths and weaknesses of the case.   Generally speaking $400 is sufficient for a brief review and report for merit.  Extensive reviews involving great detail or copious medical records will only be done if requested by the attorney under retainer and an agreed upon rate.

Scenario #2 - Provide potential clients with the contact information for Nancy Y. Boyd RN/CLNC at NYB Med-Legal, Inc.  Inform them that you would like them to work with your nurse consultant through the review for merit process.   NYB Med-Legal, Inc. will collect the initial Review for Merit fee directly from the client and complete the review and report prior to your law firm becoming more involved.  The summary letter will be sent to the potential client and a copy will be forwarded to the attorney.  At that point you will be able to have an informed discussion with the client.  (If extensive additional work is necessary by the nurse, such as chronologies, depo questions, etc. the subsequent fees will be done under retainer through the law firm.)

Scenario #3 - For cases you are quite sure you will take on, but still need a review for merit, contact Nancy Y. Boyd RN/CLNC at NYB Med-Legal, Inc. to arrange for shipping of the medical records and a retainer fee.  Provide your timelines for completion of the review, your likely theory for the case, and whether you believe you will also need NYB Med-Legal to locate expert witnesses for your case.  You will receive a prompt review for merit, CVs for potential experts, and additional services as requested by you.  You will determine, at all times, through ongoing discussion with the nurse consultant, how many hours are approved for services rendered so you will not be surprised by expenses you did not authorize.

Often our attorneys are pleasantly surprised that a case they did not think had merit, actually does, based on the nurse's knowledge of the medical record and standards of care.  Additionally, many times we save you considerable time and expense on a case you thought had merit, but after our review, you find out was not meritorious, after all.   Save your valuable time and resources and consider an organized plan with NYB Med-Legal, Inc. for handling the important issue of case review for merit.


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