Taking the Guesswork Out of Establishing Lifetime Care Needs and Cost
Life Care Planning, a natural extension of medical case management, represents the application of a meticulous approach to forecasting events and subsequent costs as they pertain to the ill/injured individual. Based on the recommendations of an interdisciplinary team of specialists, a well-constructed plan details the medical care needs on the ill/injured individual. Research is performed to determine the costs of each needed service or supply. The plan is then forwarded to an economist where the costs are reduced to a single, present value sum.
In order to compile an accurate Life Care Plan, one must have a clear understanding of the nature of the injury, the associated problems and the most appropriate approach for alleviation and/or remediation of same. Identification of and collaboration with the appropriate professional disciplines is critical, as is the ability to articulate and substantiate (i.e., provide expert testimony) the content of the plan once developed.
The care needs in the Life Care Plan should relate directly to the individual and his/her particular disability and thus are exclusive of “normal” everyday life/health care needs experienced by the well or healthy. However, recognition must be given to the fact that the health needs of people with disabilities may differ from the health care needs of others, and that physician visits are reported in the literature to be two to three times more frequent for disabled individuals.
Today, no one has the luxury of guessing at what that total might be. Please call us to discuss the specifics of your case.
Legal Services
The professionals at Roughan & Associates at LINC, Inc. serve as consultants to the attorney. They assist with the overall case coordination and facilitation, and utilize a collaborative specialty team approach to ensure an accurate, credible depiction of damages.
The process of preparing a Life Care Plan includes:
- Obtaining and reviewing all medical records
- Conducting an in depth plaintiff evaluation when and where possible
- Interviewing the current treatment team and family members
- Delineating the existing and potential future problems
- Determining the interdisciplinary expertise needed to present a credible case
- Collaborating with the treatment/expert team to prepare a detailed Life Care Plan
- Providing testimony to support the Life Care Plan
Workers’ Compensation
Few mistakes are more costly in Workers’ Compensation than under-reserving on a catastrophic or chronic injury/illness. Over-reserving can be almost as painful. Today, the setting of accurate reserves is the only practical way to ensure the continued financial health of an organization. Whether you retain the risk and manage the costs or decide to settle out, an accurate reserve estimate is critical to sound decision-making.
A Lifetime Medical Reserve Study will provide you with an accurate estimate of the cost of care, based on the recommendations of the treatment/expert team. It is less costly than a full Life Care Plan and is intended for “in-house use only”. (If litigation is anticipated or expert testimony is desired, a full LCP would be required)
The Lifetime Medical Reserve Study includes:
- Review of the current medical records
- A matrix diagram summarizing the recommendations of the current treatment team and detailing costs of recommended services and supplies
- A present value economic analysis