A medical chronology (otherwise known as a medical summary) is an important document in a personal injury case. When you are dealing with cases that involve such issues as injuries, negligence, or even malpractice it’s important to be able to know all of the relevant medical facts. Even more importantly, it’s necessary to be able to know the basic timeline of events, and to be able to reference the pertinent facts throughout the life of the case. A complete and thorough medical chronology can help with all of these items.
A good medical chronology can help a personal injury attorney in other ways as well. First, it helps the attorney focus on the rest of the case. The medical summary is important — maybe even crucial — to the case, but there are other documents that need to be prepared, and most likely there will be a hearing at some point, too. An attorney can’t focus on these important things if he or she is busy dealing with the piles of medical records that a case naturally generates.
Even more, the summary helps to educate the attorney on the relevant medical terms and procedures that are applicable to the case at hand. A lawyer needs to be an expert in the information relating to this specific case, and the chronology can help the attorney know what is important.
Of course, one of the most helpful benefits of a medical chronology when it comes to personal injury is that it helps all of the interested parties know exactly what happened and when. This information is vital to proving who is at fault for the injury or injuries in question. Without this information documented in clear and certain terms, it can be much harder for everyone involved to know what really happened, and it can be harder for your client to get the verdict and compensation that he or she is entitled to.
Another benefit of a medical summary is the fact that it remains relevant and useful throughout the life of your case. Should an expert need to be consulted, the summary will help you determine which type of expert and why. Should more information be necessary, the summary will help you know where the gaps are that need to be filled. Should the opposing party dispute a claim, the summary will help shed light on the truth of the matter.
All in all, a medical chronology is not just a good idea, it is necessary for personal injury cases. If you would like to know more about how to compile this sort of document, please don’t hesitate to contact us today!
