Whether you’re representing the plaintiff or defendant, getting an accurate medical cost assessment is essential for personal injury cases involving medical damages. However, not all assessments are created equal.
Keep reading to learn what to look for in a great Medical Cost Projection report or Life Care Plan.
What Is the Purpose of a Medical Cost Projection or Life Care Plan?
The first step to determining whether or not you have a satisfactory medical cost assessment is to figure out whether or not it serves its purpose. Both Life Care Plans and Medical Cost Projections are meant to serve as comprehensive assessments of the future medical costs associated with a given injury or injuries. They should clearly lay out the expected treatment and cost of treatment for the case. The first thing to look for in a medical cost assessment is whether or not it meets that criteria.
What’s Included in a Completed Report?
Next, a great report includes all of the essential information and evidence needed to support the calculations in the report. You should look for a Life Care Plan or Medical Cost Projection Report with the following components:
What’s Included in a Life Care Plan?
- Background information on the report author
- Information about Life Care Planning and the purpose of the report
- A list of records reviewed
- A list of relevant diagnoses
- A musical explanation of relevant injuries
- A comprehensive description of physical limitations and symptoms
- Notes from face-to-face interviews with healthcare professionals and the injured party
- A list of current medications
- A summary of the report’s findings
- A list of additional resources used in the creation of the report
- An exhaustive assessment of all future medical care costs
What’s Included in a Medical Cost Projection Report?
- A complete medical summary
- A list of relevant medical diagnoses
- A list of records reviewed
- A list of current medications
- An assessment of expected care and conditions
- A detailed calculation of ongoing medical care and treatment costs
What Makes a Great Medical Cost Projection or Life Care Plan?
Now that you know what components to look for in a Life Care Plan of Medical Cost Projection, it’s worth considering what qualities make for a great medical cost assessment. You should hire a Certified Life Care Planner who can guarantee the following characteristics for their reports:
- Comprehensiveness – Reports should include all likely complications and expenses.
- Accuracy – Reports should accurately reflect the prognosis for the injury and the expected cost of specific care.
- Easy to Understand – You should be able to easily find all useful information in the report.
- Efficiency – The report should be created in a timely manner to ensure your case can move forward as needed.
What Additional Factors Should Be Accounted for in a Life Care Plan?
While both Medical Cost Projections and Life Care Plans should include the qualities listed above, there are a few extra considerations that you should keep in mind when it comes to Life Care Plans. In order to ensure the utmost accuracy of their report, your Certified Life Care Planner should be ready and willing to conduct face-to-face interviews with healthcare providers and the injured party themselves. This first-hand experience is often essential to getting a clear picture of the injury and the expected progression.
What Should I Get? A Medical Cost Projection or Life Care Plan?
Because each type of report has specific requirements, it’s worth considering which type of report is needed for your case. While both Life Care Plans and Medical Cost Projections serve as assessments of future care costs, they each have unique advantages that make them the better option in certain cases.
In general, we recommend starting with a Medical Cost Projection for your personal injury case. MCP reports are cheaper than Life Care Plans, and they can also easily be developed into a Life Care Plan at a later date if needed. However, there are some instances in which it’s safe to assume you’ll need a Life Care Plan rather than an MCP report: Life Care Plans are recommended for cases dealing with catastrophic injuries or major commercial concerns.
Get an Exceptional Life Care Plan or Medical Cost Projection from DM Medical Cost Consulting
If you have a personal injury case with medical damages, getting help from a Certified Life Care Planner can make a big difference in the outcome of your case. A Certified Life Care Planner can create an airtight medical cost assessment that you can use to defend your client’s best interests. Not all reports will be equally useful, so it’s important to get a medical cost assessment from a Certified Life Care Planner who can guarantee a high-quality report.
You don’t have to do the calculations yourself to determine how much your client may owe or be owed for their personal injury case. A Certified Life Care Planner can carry out a precise assessment to project future care costs for the injury in question.
Here at DM Medical Cost Consulting, we pride ourselves on going above and beyond for our clients, and we guarantee that all of our work is of the highest quality. Don’t hesitate to reach out to the Certified Life Care Planners at DM Medical Cost Consulting for help protecting the outcome of your case.