BEST PRACTICES FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
The One Message Beginning LNCs Absolutely MUST Know
Editor's Note: We asked our panel of CLNC® experts what ONE message they'd pass on to any RN just starting out as a legal nurse consultant (LNC). The answers we received were insightful and inspiring. I hope you'll take these words of wisdom to heart and use them to help you build YOUR successful LNC practice.
– Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD
First Things First
by Carla R. Kitten, RN, BSN, CLNC
When starting a new business, I would use the title of Stephen Covey's book First Things First as a daily reminder. It's easy to get so wrapped up in looking for that first case that you let other business necessities slip – don't do it. Start with a business plan, find a corporate lawyer, accountant and banker, and have all the essential paperwork in place, including contracts for every need. These things are not as much fun as case work, but they're necessary. Once you get started, you won't have time to go back and take care of them.
Since 1993 Carla R. Kitten, RN, BSN, CLNC has been a practicing legal nurse consultant specializing in medical malpractice and criminal defense. She is a full-time in-house legal nurse consultant for the Gray Hart law firm in Texas.
Don't Give In to Fear
by Pamela A. Hollsten, RN, BSN, DABFN, CLNC
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what a ship is built for."
– William Shedd
The most important message I received when starting my practice was to recognize my fears, but not to let them become obstacles or excuses. When we embark on a new adventure, we feel many emotions – excitement, fear, anticipation – and that's perfectly normal. Fear – fear of rejection, failure, even success – is the feeling that anchors us in our safe harbor. Learn to channel this high energy state productively to propel you forward, rather than to stop you dead in the water.
I vividly remember fearing, "What if I don't get that first case?" quickly followed by, "What if I do get that first case?" I wanted to retreat to a safe, known course of action. Recognizing my fears and plunging forward anyway was very uncomfortable. Yet, if I had retreated to my known, no-risk safe harbor, I'm convinced I would have been miserable for never taking the initial risk.
My ship hasn't sunk, though I have hit a few sandbars along the way. I've learned to adjust my sails to capture the wind instead of setting anchor personally and professionally. I challenge each of you to accept and recognize your fears for what they are, then cast off into the uncharted waters of your new adventure!
Pam Hollsten, RN, BSN, DABFN, CLNC, an independent LNC in Georgia, owns Hollsten & Associates, specializing in medical malpractice.
You're the Boss – You're in Control
by Rose Clifford, RN, CLNC
Once you become an independent LNC, you are your own boss. You are truly the master of your fate. You alone must have the courage to have faith in your own vision. If you've come from a clinical setting where your vision was just to make it through the day, this may sound obscure or silly. After years of having no control over your work situation, the fact that you're now in control simply may not register.
For some, being in control is scary. For others, it is a big revelation and a huge relief. For better or worse, it is real. With control comes responsibility – to yourself, your attorneys and ultimately to their clients. Make your efforts count for yourself and for those depending on you.
Keep sight of your vision on a daily, even hourly basis. Write it down. It will guide you in making the choices that will keep you on course. Here are some positive choices you can make:
Have faith in yourself.
Take positive actions in pursuing your dreams.
Face the challenges life hands you.
Use the nursing process to quickly assess the situation, take appropriate action, evaluate the outcome of your actions and plan ahead.
One of the best benefits of being the boss is that you can – and should – be selective in choosing which attorneys become your clients. For example, you don't have to accept work with a near impossible deadline. You don't have to put up with procrastination by an attorney or an LNC colleague. You will find that if you are not highly selective, you'll create a work environment similar to the clinical environment you left behind, and you'll be out of control again. If you can overcome the need to help everyone, you'll have more time to meet your own needs and goals. Don't give away your control – keep that as part of your vision.
For 14 years Rose Clifford, RN, CLNC has been an expert independent LNC specializing in investigating Medicare billing fraud and PIP auto fraud. She owns Medical Analysis Resources, Inc. in Kentucky.
Self-development: Access and Care for Your Uniqueness
by Gloria Blackmon, RNC, BSN, LNHA
"Self-development is a higher duty than self-sacrifice."
– Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Nearly every successful person credits self-development, at least in part, for their success. My advice is to include it in your plan from day one. Take the time to develop your inner nature and be true to yourself.
Everyone knows you must set goals if you want to reach your desired outcome. But each goal impacts you, your lifestyle and your true desires. Therefore, it's important to set goals that are uniquely yours.
One of the best ways to be sure your goals are your own is to start with your own mission statement. According to Laurie Beth Jones in The Path, a mission statement is a simple sentence easily understood by a twelve-year-old and capable of being recited from memory at gunpoint.
With your mission statement in mind, you won't make the error of defining yourself as what you do. Your goals (e.g., working from home, increasing your salary, meeting interesting people, being an asset to a team, exploring new horizons, etc.) will be the result of doing what you love, rather than the other way around.
A key part of self-development is taking care of yourself. When you're starting your business, it's easy to lose sight of your goals if you don't take time to nurture yourself. You will not be effective as an LNC or anything else if you're running on empty.
Last spring I spent a week-long personal and business development retreat on Kauai. Away from my usual distractions – cell phone, beeper, computer and medical records (OK, I did read records on the way) – I was left in stillness with my five senses. As I participated in the learning exercises and developed my self-care plan, I realized I needed some balancing. Although I make a point of recognizing when I need a respite, I too am vulnerable to being overwhelmed by this undertaking.
As your business develops, you will learn a lot about yourself. Traits and habits you didn't know about will surface. If you stay focused on a mission that's uniquely yours, doing anything that isn't true to yourself – from how you prioritize your activities to how you spend money to how you dress – will make you feel ill at ease. While going on an island retreat is restorative and reflective, you can achieve such insight right where you are. You just have to take the time and give it the high priority it deserves.
Here is a list of books that may help you in your commitment to find and follow your own mission while being good to yourself as you embark on your exciting LNC journey:
God Is My Broker: A Monk-Tycoon Reveals the 7-1/2 Laws of Spiritual and Financial Growth,
Brother Ty with Christopher Buckley and John Tierney
The Path: Creating Your Mission Statement for Work and for Life,
Laurie Beth Jones
The Power of Positive Prophecy: Finding the Hidden Potential in Everyday Life,
Laurie Beth Jones
The Millionairess Across the Street: Women – Lessons to Change Your Thinking and Achieve Wealth and Success,
Bettina Flores and Jennifer Bayse Sander
Your Heart's Desire: Instructions for Creating the Life You Really Want,
Sonia Choquette
Gloria A. Blackmon, RNC, BSN, LNHA is the CEO of Blackmon & Associates Medical-Legal Consulting in Kansas specializing in long-term care issues.
Grant Me Patience – And I Want It Now
by Lisa Ellison, RNC, CLNC
The biggest single message I would pass on to a new LNC is to be patient. Starting a business takes time. Finding, winning and retaining clients takes time. Some LNCs out there get 10 cases from the first prospect they speak to and are busy from then on, but not everyone is that fortunate. It took me a long time to get where I am — happily snowed under with work. Every obstacle in my path has taught me something. Anything worthwhile takes time to build. It can be very frustrating and depressing, but keep your chin up and keep following up on all leads.
Lisa Ellison, RNC, CLNC, owner of Premier Nursing Consultants in Texas, helps attorneys prepare medical malpractice and personal injury cases and provides in-depth research, chronologies and reports.
Don't Try to Do It All
by Nancy Dion, RN, MSM, CLNC, CPHQ, CHCRM, LNHA
I'd advise those just starting their businesses to listen to the experts and outsource all activities that draw their attention away from the LNC focus. By this I mean:
Find and use a bookkeeper or billing service to handle basic accounting and billing tasks.
Find an organizer to help set up an office (workplace) that makes the most efficient use of the available space and to create a filing system that's easy to manage.
Set up a call response system and check it at least 3-4 times per day to assure timely turn around on calls.
When a call comes in for a case you can't handle, look for someone who can do it and maintain managerial oversight of the case.
Tap the expertise of other LNCs when you need guidance and assistance. Successful LNCs are more than willing to help other RNs become successful.
For more than 35 years Nancy Dion, RN, MSM, CLNC, CPHQ, CHCRM, LNHA has been a successful healthcare and business professional. Her expertise includes clinical services, organizational redesign, quality improvement, risk management, facility and agency executive team building and management, along with her legal nurse consulting skills.
What You Don't Know CAN Hurt You
by Donna Adkins, RN, BSN, CRRN, CCM, CLCP
When I started my practice, I knew nothing about government forms, IRS requirements and local government regulations. This is risky business indeed if you run afoul of any law or regulation. Once you are targeted for audit, you may be subject to repeat audits. Thankfully, I brought a CPA on board at the outset of my business and avoided disaster. Hire an accountant you trust implicitly to keep your personal and business financial affairs in order.
On a lighter note, when I started out, I knew little about equipment like fax machines. I had no idea that thermal fax paper degrades over time. Imagine my surprise when, months after filing an important faxed document, I opened the folder to discover the contents were barely legible. I hustled to find all my filed faxes and copy them onto "good" paper. I shudder to think how much the "disappearance" of a crucial document could have cost me.
Donna Adkins, RN, BSN, CRRN, CCM, CLCP, owns Medical Claims Analysis & Management Services, Inc. in Kentucky. The company develops life care plans and consults on plaintiff and defense workers' compensation, medical negligence, malpractice, personal injury and criminal cases.
