What is the connection between fixed fees and the selection of key documents from medical records?

The traditional full collation of all records model will become outdated  in the relatively near future due to pressure on costs.  It may go against the grain to select and exclude evidence at the investigative stage, for those of us who were trained as part of our legal practice to place all evidence in its entirety before the medical experts so that nothing is missed.  However, my own conclusion (after a decade in clinical negligence practice and several thousands of cases considered since), is that key records can safely be selected. This saves preparation time and expert time without compromising the case.   The consistent expertise of the person considering the full disclosure is the key factor. Any solicitor taking this approach would obviously have to be absolutely sure that the work was in safe hands.

Save on costs with our ‘standalone key document’ scheme

Clinco has been trialling, since January 2015, a standalone key document scheme which involves producing a small core bundle of around 50-100 pages of medical records, a one page summary of key events and a one page report.  This reduces very substantially not only our own invoice but also the expert’s fee and the fee earner’s time.  We are satisfied that we have the experience and expertise to offer this more widely, and that (as we do it) it is a workable, safe process.  The selection of key documents from medical records is, after all,  part of  our everyday work. We include them in our chronologies and highlight them in our commentaries.

The trialled scheme fits very well with the new costs challenges faced by the profession.

If you would like to find out more about our fees, please click HERE. To find out more about our core bundles please click HERE.

Please contact me if you’d like to know more:

sarahwallace@clinco.co.uk