Medico-legal cases are often complex without a clear-cut expectation of the court’s verdict. The referring party has to collect and go through large volumes of information, including long medical records and expert opinions.
Even with a strong case of evidence, opposing medical opinions expressed in court can affect your chances in court. Therefore, it is essential to have efficient processes like medical-legal reports proving your case to improve your chances of success and settlement rates.
However, getting an accurate, timely medico-legal report can be challenging. At Lex Medicus, we provide access to a world of medical professionals who can deliver top-quality, unbiased, fit-for-purpose medical reports when you need them.
What are Medico-Legal Reports?
Medico-legal reports cover an individual’s medical care history, and it can be used as evidence in court. It is usually requested by the attorney, insurer, or law enforcement agency. The report is closely scrutinised and viewed by a diverse, non-medical audience. Therefore, it must be written with extreme care.
A high-quality medico-legal report relies on medical facts present on records, not the physician’s memory. The report will contain the medical case history, investigation, examination, diagnosis, treatment, and the patient’s current condition. All this information is organised in chronological order. The writer’s expert medical opinion of the patient’s care is also included in the report.
A medico-legal report’s information has to be honest, accurate, and verified without omitting any important facts. It also has to be prepared within a reasonable timeframe. If these criteria are not met, the report might not withstand scrutiny in court.
The importance of the medico-legal opinion of the report in a medico-legal case cannot be overemphasised. Lawyers often face several challenges in the process of getting medical practitioners’ opinions for a medico-legal report. We have highlighted some of these difficulties.
Challenges of Getting Accurate and Quality Medico-Legal Opinions
Not all healthcare providers can provide an accurate, quality medical opinion for your medico-legal case. You need an expert in the medical field with experience and knowledge of the medical literature to be referenced in the case. Here are some of the challenges lawyers face in getting the medico-legal opinion of these experts.
Finding Qualified Medical Experts
One of the most difficult parts of a medico-legal case is finding qualified medical experts who can give their unbiased medical opinion on the material facts of the case. Every opinion in their medico-legal report has to be backed by a reason referenced in medical literature and other supporting materials. However, the medico-legal report still has to be jargon-free and easy to read.
The medical professional should be able to withstand cross-examination when challenged in court. If any opinion expressed is not within the report writer’s expertise, it has to be stated. A good report can be rendered useless if the medical specialist doesn’t state their qualifications for the case.
It can be challenging to find qualified medical professionals willing to report on the medical errors of their colleagues. Some don’t want to go through the process of having their medical opinions scrutinised in court. At Lex Medicus, our medical specialists have a proven track record of giving expert witness testimony and are leaders in their areas of specialty.
Access to Medical Records
Australian health services can deny access to medical records on several grounds. One of which is when the information poses a serious threat to the health or life of an individual. The person’s consent is also needed before medical records are released.
Even without these restrictions, the sheer volume and complexity of medical records make it difficult to collect and organise the relevant information needed to prove medical negligence. It can take a lot of time to find what attorneys need to prove their case.
At Lex Medicus, our medico-legal specialists have access to the best tools to ensure accurate and fast report delivery. All our reports meet clinical guidelines, and you can trust the quality of our reports.
Preparing Timely Medico-Legal Report
Preparing a medico-legal report is a time-consuming task that requires medical expertise. The report has to follow a particular order and contain specific details to be acceptable in court. The clinical decision-making process of the treating doctor is reviewed from start to finish.
Most attorneys don’t have the time and skills to put together a strong medico-legal report. At Lex Medicus, we can deliver your medico-legal report for urgent matters within two business days. Our quality control measures ensure that the report you get contains all the necessary details you need to make your case.
Accurate Assessment of Medical Negligence
Assessing the damages caused by the treating doctors in medico-legal cases can be tricky. Often, the patient already had a medical condition before getting treatment. Lawyers will have to prove that the medical negligence of the treating doctor made the patient worse or aggravated symptoms to get financial support or justice for the patient.
Therefore, the report writer has to prove the negligence of the treating doctors with objective points. It can be difficult to find a medical expert who can stand up to close scrutiny. Many medical professionals might not want to side with patients.
Therefore, you need credible, independent medical professionals who will give accurate assessments of the doctors’ negligence. At Lex Medicus, our team of independent medical experts can help you get an impartial and objective medico-legal report that will be admissible in Australian courts. We take a personalised approach to every case and tailor our services to the medico-legal needs of our clients.
Get Accurate, Timely Medico-Legal Opinions
Almost every medico-legal case needs the expert opinion of credible medical professionals. However, it can be hard to find medical professionals qualified and willing to present their professional opinions in these cases. Even when available, these services can be quite expensive.
But it doesn’t have to be impossible to get accurate medico-legal opinions in time. Lex Medicus can assist with your case without stress or breaking the bank. We are one of the leading medico-legal specialists in Australia, with a panel of well-recognised medical specialists providing the most reliable and independent medical opinions. Our medical professionals ensure that our clients always receive the highest quality, fit-for-purpose reports. You will also find that our services are affordable.
Our broad range of services are available to clients in Australia and internationally.
Schedule an appointment with our helpful and knowledgeable team today!