NEWS FLASH
Vickie Hits the Airwaves on How Women Shop
The "Houston Business Show" on Business Radio 650AM recently featured Vickie as special guest. She told radio host Kevin J. Price how women buy, explaining that for women the buying experience is both physiological and psychological. Physiologically, women use their five senses when they are buying, but they also seek to fill an emotional need with each purchase.
For example, the RNs who are researching legal nurse consulting are seeking to change their career which can ultimately change their life.
For this reason trust is a must in the relationship between the Institute and that RN. Here are two things the Institute does to assure the RN that she will have little to risk financially or emotionally when choosing the CLNC® Certification Program:
Guarantee the program with the risk-free guarantee.
Provide FREE mentoring through practicing CLNC®s after purchase and as long as they remain certified.
Similar principles can be applied to your attorney-client relationships to assure they aren't out shopping for LNC services from your competitors.
CLNC® SUCCESS STORY
My Heart Beats to "I Am a Successful CLNC®"
by Holly Bedgio, RN, CLNC
I had just been laid-off by a national healthcare company in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and I was devastated. Being a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant had always been my dream, so when the news of Vickie's CLNC® 6-Day Certification Seminar came, the chance to live that dream made my heart skip a beat. With no job and an uncertain future, I signed up for the 6-day course.
I found the course fascinating and exhilarating. On my flight home, I wrote a business plan and kept thinking of Vickie's mantra, "I am a successful CLNC®." I couldn't wait to get home. When I got home, my first words to my husband were, "I think I can really do this!"
The next night, I had dinner at a neighbor's house. As fate would have it, a partner in a very prestigious medical malpractice law firm with five attorneys was among the guests. He gave me my first case the very next day!
I was petrified. My assignment was a complicated plaintiff case against a local healthcare provider regarding care provided over a two-year period. The records were two feet high, and looked like they had been dropped from a three-story building and swept into a box. The attorney-client had instructed me to review the records and prepare a chronological timeline of events. After organizing the medical records, which was a feat in itself, I began my review with the Core Curriculum for Legal Nurse Consulting® in hand. I felt like I had hit a home run. The case was loaded with deviations from the Standard of Care, discrepancies and alterations in the medical records, and missing documents. The patient had developed decubitus ulcers and sustained several falls with no documented interventions. In many instances significant changes in condition were not reported to the physician, and the patient eventually became septic and died.
When I met with the attorney to discuss my findings, I had butterflies in my stomach, my mouth was dry, and my hands were shaking. I flipped through the Core Curriculum for Legal Nurse Consulting® one last time before walking into the attorney's office and handing him my 20-page report. As he flipped through it, he said, "This looks really good, but I don't have time to read it right now. Just tell me the gist of the case and the strong points in less than 20 words."
My first thought was, "If I could do it in 20 words, I wouldn't have written 20 pages." Having to focus my findings into 20 words or less turned out to be even harder than preparing my report, but I did it.
Presenting the case in a few words wasn't my only challenge. While I knew the answer to most of the attorney's questions, I had a hard time finding the exact page I needed in my report to make a point. This experience was invaluable to my future success, even though at the time it seemed like a nightmare. My client was teaching me the value of being succinct, precise and organized.
For the next six months, I worked exclusively with this firm. With each new case, I adapted my reporting style, based on my face-to-face meetings with the various attorneys. I designed a format for my timelines allowing me to find things quickly, and I learned to include a cover page summarizing each case, categorizing deviations from the Standard of Care and listing bullet point examples of each deviation. This practice allows me to quickly answer questions and provides the attorneys with a snapshot of the case.
I now work for more than a dozen large firms throughout Florida. Every client contacted me after either hearing about my work from a colleague or reviewing my work product when a case was transferred. I have more work than I can keep up with. I owe it all to you, Vickie! My heart no longer skips a beat, because it's beating to the tune of "I am a successful CLNC®." Thank you for being such a wonderful teacher and making my career dream of becoming a successful CLNC® come true.
Holly Bedgio, RN, CLNC focuses on nursing home/ALF litigation, wound care and home healthcare issues, infusion litigation and medical malpractice.
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Avoid These 5 Common Mistakes Beginners Make
The CLNC® pros – Donna Adkins, RN, BSN, CRRN, CCM, CLCP; Gloria A. Blackmon, RNC, BSN, LNHA; Rose Clifford, RN, CLNC; Nancy Dion, RN, MSM, CLNC, CPHQ, CHCRM, LNHA; Pam Hollsten, RN, BSN, DABFN, CLNC; and Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD – share their top techniques to boost your business. They answer the question:
"What's the most common mistake beginning LNCs make?"
Mistake No. 1 – Assuming the Attorney Wants a Consulting Expert Instead of a Testifying Expert
Many LNCs fail to clarify whether the attorney wants them to serve as a testifying expert or behind the scenes as a consulting expert. This is particularly true if the attorney has not used the services of a legal nurse consultant before. New LNCs often assume the attorney is seeking a consulting expert, when the attorney needs a testifying expert or has not communicated clearly what he is seeking.
It is YOUR responsibility to clarify your role before beginning your review of the case. Simply ask if the attorney expects you to testify on the case at any time in the future. If the answer is yes or even maybe, consider that you are serving as an expert witness until notified otherwise and be sure your actions are consistent with the role of an expert witness.
If you only intend to be a consulting expert, communicate to the attorney how you can benefit him behind the scenes. Point out that you can save him time and money by locating testifying experts, researching standards of care, and providing other services for the attorney.
Mistake No. 2 – Not Communicating and Collaborating Up Front
Many new LNCs don't communicate and collaborate with the attorney regarding the type of work product and services the attorney wants. As a result, it is easy to fail in meeting the attorney's expectations even while producing an excellent work product. For example, you write a report when you have not been specifically asked to do so. The worst-case scenario is preparing a detailed report with supporting literature and chronology of the medical records when this was neither requested nor needed at this stage in the litigation process. In most situations, the mistake of not meeting expectations is easily avoidable if you develop a set of questions to help each attorney articulate what she wants and needs:
A verbal report or a written report?
A brief or comprehensive report?
Supporting literature and/or standards of care?
The budget allotted for your services on this case?
Identifying the attorney's needs is a collaborative process. The attorney doesn't always know what she needs, especially if she's never worked with a CLNC® before. For example, you can offer to screen the records and provide a verbal report, which will allow you and the attorney to collaborate further on additional services needed.
Communicate clearly and actively. Listen to the attorney-client's requests. Do not hesitate to phone the attorney if you have any questions or concerns about the assignment once you have started. In a service business such as consulting, the bottom line is not what a great job you think you did, but what a great job the attorney-client thinks you did!
Mistake No. 3 – Producing Sloppy Work Product
Some nurses, even those with BSNs, don't know how to spell and write properly. Ask an experienced CLNC® to review your finished work product. Hire or request someone to proofread your document for errors, grammar, syntax, etc. If you don't know what syntax is, take a refresher course. It will be fun and illuminating. Take a writing class if needed.
Be sure to check math, numbers, decimal points, dates, etc. We know one attorney who is still making payments on a $160,000.00 settlement after he failed to catch a transcriptionist's misplaced decimal point in the offer presented at the settlement conference.
Don't proofread at the last minute or without adequate rest. Allow time to let the ink dry before you proofread, so you can come to the task fresh. Always remember, others can see your mistakes better than you can. Surely you don't want that first check from the attorney to be your last.
Mistake No. 4 – Not Hiring Subcontractors
Many new CLNC®s accept all types of cases rather than focusing on cases for which they truly have expertise. In and of itself this is not a bad business decision, but where many beginners err is in attempting to work these cases themselves rather than subcontracting with a CLNC® who has experience in that specialty. A new LNC can spend innumerable hours doing basic research to orient herself to the complexities of an area where she has no personal expertise. This time often outweighs the income potential of the case, putting the LNC at a disadvantage before she gets started. This practice can be both exhausting and disappointing for anyone just starting out.
Most successful CLNC®s are aware of their strengths and use them to personal advantage, maintaining and expanding on their expertise in their chosen area of focus. Become the master rather than trying to be a jack-of-all-trades. Recognize that you don't have to do it all or try to be all things to all attorneys. Other CLNC®s who have mastered their own specialty areas are out there. By subcontracting with these qualified CLNC®s, you can actually build a bigger legal nurse consulting practice than you could by going it alone.
Mistake No. 5 – Lacking Self-Confidence
Many LNC beginners succumb to a lack of confidence. They focus on what might go wrong and forget that successful businesses take time. This mistake causes many new LNCs to give up right on the brink of success. Here are some strategies for gaining self-confidence.
Do your best work. We all look back at some of our earlier work and... well, let's just say we would do some things differently now. However, at the time, it was our best. Our clients responded to our enthusiasm and teaching ability, and our confidence grew over time.
Remember that mistakes are not always fatal. Rationally you know this, but you don't want to experience it. Therefore, many LNCs get frozen, wanting to have a business or work in a law firm, but too afraid to move forward, always looking but never realizing their heart's desire. News flash: You will make some errors, all clients will not be ideal and sometimes even when you are dynamite, the end result may not be what you and your client wanted.
A successful business does not happen overnight. Business success comes in degrees and grows along with your confidence and your ability to incorporate what works and learn from mistakes (or unexpected results). If taking baby steps towards consulting works better for you, don't judge your success by how much money you make or how many clients you have in your Rolodex.
Take full advantage of your training and the resources around you. Use the CLNC® mentors. Join a business group to help you understand the world of business, networking and marketing. Don't let yourself become isolated – you don't have to face every challenge alone.
Donna Adkins, RN, BSN, CRRN, CCM, CLCP, owns Medical Claims Analysis & Management Services. Inc., in Kentucky. The company focuses on developing life care plans, plaintiff and defense workers' compensation, medical negligence and malpractice, personal injury and criminal cases.
Gloria A. Blackmon, RNC, BSN, LNHA is the CEO of Blackmon & Associates Medical-Legal Consulting in Kansas, specializing in long-term care issues.
Rose Clifford, RN, CLNC has been an independent LNC for 14 years specializing in investigating Medicare billing fraud and PIP auto fraud. She owns Medical Analysis Resources, Inc. in Kentucky.
Nancy Dion, RN, MSM, CLNC, CPHQ, CHCRM, LNHA is a healthcare professional with more than 35 successful years in healthcare and business. 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.
Pam Hollsten, RN, BSN, DABFN, CLNC, an independent LNC in Georgia, owns Hollsten & Associates, specializing in medical malpractice.
Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD is the founder and president of the Medical-Legal Consulting Institute, Inc., in Houston. She has been a successful legal nurse consultant since 1982. Credited by The New York Times with creating a new profession, Vickie developed and implemented the first national certification program for CLNC®s in 1994. As a trainer, coach and mentor she has empowered tens of thousands of RNs to take control of their lives and create exciting and profitable careers.
