Recovering from a catastrophic injury often involves a multitude of direct and indirect costs, from medical bills to home modifications to modalities that improve mobility. If you’re an attorney representing a client who was seriously injured, you will need evidence to prove the extent of the injury and associated costs during litigation or when negotiating with the insurance company. This is where a life care plan can help, but what is life care planning?
The National Institutes of Health defines a “life care plan” as a document based on detailed assessments, research, data analysis, and published standards of practice that provides a concise, organized plan for current and future needs with associated costs for a person who has suffered a chronic medical condition or catastrophic injury.
Each life care plan is unique to the specific patient and medical condition. Common elements of a life care plan include treatment goals, medications, therapeutic modalities, interests and needs of the patient, and the needs of family members who will help care for the patient.
At Cardinal LifeCare Consulting, we create objective life care plans using evidence-based practice guidelines, medical records, and recommendations from medical specialists. To discuss your life care planning needs, call us today at 724.487.0519.
What Does a Life Care Plan Include?
Now that we’ve answered the question, “What is life care planning?” you may be wondering what exactly a life care plan includes. Although each plan is unique, there are certain elements that consistently appear in most of them. Besides the list of necessary medical treatments and modalities, a life care plan will include the costs associated with each item, the date of implementation, the date of suspension, and the names of the professionals making the recommendations. Other common elements of life care plans include:
- Medications;
- Evaluations and diagnostic testing;
- Therapeutic modalities;
- Orthopedic needs;
- Prosthetic or orthotic needs;
- Home care needs;
- Modalities to improve mobility;
- Transportation needs;
- Leisure equipment; and
- Home modifications.
Qualities to Look for in a Life Care Planning Expert
The comprehensiveness and accuracy of a life care plan will determine its value as evidence during litigation and when negotiating with insurance companies. It is important, then, that you find a life care planning expert who has the knowledge, experience, and credentials to create an objective and detailed life care plan.
Here are a few qualities to look for in a life care planner:
- Experience creating life care plans for patients with a similar condition as your client;
- Willingness to show life care plans he or she created in the past; and
- Ability to explain his or her methodology including the medical specialists who will take part in the plan’s development.
If you would like to speak with a life care planning consultant who meets all of the above criteria, contact Cardinal LifeCare Consulting. Call 724.487.0519 today to schedule a consultation.
