For cases involving personal injuries, the injured party often seeks compensation for medical expenses they face in relation to an injury in question. As a personal injury attorney representing the defendant, you need to have all the information necessary to ensure your client doesn’t pay more than they rightfully owe.
Keep reading to learn about how a Medical Cost Projection or Life Care Plan can help support your personal injury defense case.
What’s Included in a Life Care Plan or Medical Cost Projection?
The first step to understanding how a Life Care Plan or Medical Cost Projection can strengthen your case is to consider exactly what these types of reports include. The high level of complexity and detail in these reports help lend credibility and ensure comprehensive information.
What’s Included in a Life Care Plan?
- Background information on the report creator
- Information about the purpose and history of Life Care Plans
- A list of records reviewed
- A list of diagnoses
- A medical summary of injuries
- A comprehensive description of all related medical care
- Detailed notes from interviews with healthcare professionals involved in the case
- A list of current medications
- A summary covering the report’s findings
- A list of the resources utilized in the creation of the assessment
- An exhaustive assessment of all future medical and non-medical costs associated with an injury or injuries
What’s Included in a Medical Cost Projection?
- A thorough medical summary of the injury or injuries
- The medical diagnosis
- A list of the records reviewed to make the report
- A list of current medications
- A report of expected future care and conditions
- A thorough projection of ongoing medical care and costs
How Can a Medical Cost Projection Strengthen My Defense Case?
Both a Medical Cost Projection and a Life Care Plan can bring significant benefits to personal injury defense cases. If you have a personal injury defense case with medical damages, a medical expenses assessment can support your case in the following ways:
- Do the Best for Your Client – By seeking a Medical Cost Projection or Life Care Plan, you can rest assured that you are providing the best possible services to your client, helping to ensure both a positive outcome and a positive impression of you as an attorney.
- Strengthen Your Position – A medical expenses assessment can provide essential evidence that you need to strengthen your position in negotiations or a court of law.
- Avoid Excessive Settlements – The most important benefit of a medical expenses assessment for a defense case is the fact that such a report can help you avoid overpaying for injury claims. An accurate report can show exactly what an injury is worth.
- Enable Informed Decisions – Without a medical cost assessment, your client may not have a clear idea of the actual cost of full compensation. An MCP report or Life Care Plan can help them make fully informed decisions.
- Utilize Optimal Legal Tactics – In order to make optimal legal strategies, you need to have access to the most accurate, exhaustive information possible, and that means getting an MCP report or Life Care Plan.
- Take Fast Action – The ability to act nimbly on behalf of your client can give you a strong advantage in personal injury defense cases.
How Can a Life Care Plan Strengthen My Defense Case?
A Life Care Plan can bring with it all the same benefits as a Medical Cost Projection, but it also has other benefits. While both a Life Care Plans and MCP report seek to assess all future medical expenses related to an injury, a Life Care Plan is longer. Thanks to its greater length, a Life Care Plan may be more beneficial in some cases than an MCP report.
In particular, a Life Care Plan is the right option for cases involving catastrophic injuries or major commercial concerns.
What Services Can a Medical Expense Assessment Support?
Every personal injury case is different, and not all will follow the same path to a resolution. No matter which path your case follows, a medical expenses assessment can help you represent your client successfully. In particular, a Life Care Plan or Medical Cost Projection can help in these instances:
- Settlement Negotiations – A medical expenses assessment can strengthen your position during settlement negotiations and prevent you from overpaying on claims.
- Considering Demand Packages – If your client has received a demand package, a medical expenses assessment can help you decide whether or not to comply.
- Court Trial – If your personal injury case goes to court, a medical expenses assessment can be essential to reaching a fair conclusion.
What Cases Can Benefit from an MCP Report or Life Care Plan?
Of course, personal injury defense is a broad category with many types of cases. A medical expenses assessment should be beneficial in any type of personal injury defense case, but they are particularly advantageous for cases involving:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Defective products
- Slip-and-falls
- Medical malpractice
- Burns
- Dog bites
- Motorcycle accidents
- Workplace injuries
- Premises injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Birth injuries
Your Certified Life Care Planners: DM Medical Cost Consulting
If you’re a personal injury attorney defending a client facing claims for medical expenses, you need a Medical Cost Projection or Life Care Plan to ensure the best possible outcome for your case. Without a medical expenses assessment, your client could be left paying more than what the injury is actually worth, and an excessive settlement could affect your reputation as a capable attorney.
Here at DM Medical Cost Consulting, we’re proud to help personal injury defense attorneys defend the rights of their clients, and we’d be happy to help you determine the best type of assessment for your case. You can reach out to us for a free consultation to determine whether or not our services are right for you.