Assessing and Reporting Pain & Suffering: What We Can Do to Help

Assessing and Reporting Pain & Suffering: What We Can Do to Help

 

Especially for personal injury attorneys, calculating your client’s pain and suffering can be harrowing. Because of the subjectivity and complexity of each individual case, how do you know you’re doing all you can for those you represent? At Integrity Legal Nurse Consulting, our experienced nurses can ensure that you’re not missing anything, especially since we match the case theme with the RN’s background to ensure the best fit for the job and consideration of all possible issues.

 

The following information will cover the analyzing and report services we offer to strengthen your case, clarify medical documents, and allow you more time to practice law.

 

The Purpose of Our Reports

In summarizing and analyzing the medical reports and procedures of your client, we can best determine the degree of pain and suffering as well as avenues in which to prove this. Such a report aims to lay out all the problems your client has faced as a result of accident, injury, or medical error or malpractice, and focus your attention on the strongest details to utilize in your case.

 

What types of cases are these reports best for?

There are many factors that are considered by juries and insurance companies alike when judging the compensation a victim should receive for their pain and suffering, including a victim’s job and income, age, community affiliation, lifestyle, pre-existing injuries, and choice of medical treatment.[1] However, for the services we provide, any cases involving a catastrophic injury with serious or residual injuries and those where a victim has died as a result of injury or malpractice, regardless of external factors, are all worth consideration.

 

Necessary Documents

Since the cost of pain and suffering is typically calculated through considering total medical expenses, financial loss, and days spent in severe discomfort, documentation from all stages of the injury is essential. Here is a list of the most crucial documents we will need:

  • Medical chart notes
  • Medical bills associated with therapy, visits with specialists, ambulance transportation, emergency room visits, and other appointments and consultations
  • Prescription receipts
  • Over-the-counter medication receipts
  • Proof of lost wages or missed school
  • Photos of physical injuries
  • Logs of all medical treatment, pain, and missed activities[2]

 

The Different Types of Reports Pertaining to Pain & Suffering

  • Merit screen: The purpose of this report is to help you decide if you want to file a medical negligence case. After reviewing the medical documentation, we can review and analyze the records and help you decide whether or not this is a case you wish to litigate. The merit screen reports include list of outstanding medical chart notes as well as case strength and weaknesses.

 

  • Pain & Suffering Report: Once a case is going to mediation or trial and you have an understanding of the medical logistics, the pain and suffering report can be provided. This report explains the damages experienced by your client as a result of an accident, injury, or medical malpractice in a format that can then be used to instruct the jury. The report can include:
  • Monetary cost of the damages.
  • Chronological description of damages and associated medical procedures and impact on the client.
  • Visual presentation of the above mentioned damages and medical procedures.

 

Whether you’re in the initial stages of personal injury or medical negligence case or you’re already preparing for trial, having one of our excellent consultants can make your job easier and your arguments stronger for trial. When a picture is worth a thousand words, the pain and suffering reports may help the jury understand exactly what happened to your client and how their life has drastically changed on a regular and permanent basis. Contact us today and see how we can assist your busy practice; our job is to make your life easier, while saving you time in the process.

[1] “Valuing Pain and Suffering Damages,” FreeAdvice Legal, n.d., http://injury-law.freeadvice.com/injury-law/injury-law/pain_and_suffering_factors.htm

[2] “Pain And Suffering In Personal Injury Claims,” DMV.org, n.d., http://www.dmv.org/insurance/pain-and-suffering-in-personal-injury-claims.php