NEWS FLASH
Vickie Milazzo Institute Named to Top 100 Small Businesses
in Houston
The nation's oldest and largest training institute for legal nurse consulting, Vickie Milazzo Institute has recently been named one of the "Top 100 Small Businesses" in Houston, by the Houston Business Journal.
It is such an honor for us to be recognized as one of the leading small businesses in the fourth largest city in the country. When I began my company, I never dreamed that I would reach so many people and help so many nurses achieve their career dreams.
Inside each of us is the desire to succeed. It has taken a lot of passion, determination and hard work for me to achieve my own goals which is the exact message I deliver to practicing and aspiring CLNC®s. Remember, we are nurses and we can do anything!
Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD
Vickie received the award for Top 100 Small Businesses in Houston from Channel 26 business reporter, Greg Groogan, at the awards presentation hosted by the Houston Business Journal.
Terra Wellington of Balanced LivingTM Seeks Vickie's Educational Expertise
Terra Wellington is a consumer wellness expert and she interviewed Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD for the article "Education Brings Lasting Joy" in her column, Balanced Living.
The article quotes Vickie as saying,"The people who are the happiest are the ones who are always growing. The only way you can grow is to learn." Reports Vickie, "…no matter your income level or age, there are always possibilities of learning."
As students of the Institute already know, Vickie is passionate about education. That passion began early. Her favorite game growing up in New Orleans was teaching her imaginary class. And now she teaches thousands of nurses every year.
She follows the same advice as she gives her students, she makes sure her learning is purposeful and focused. Massively successful people focus on learning the right things. For example, Vickie asks, "Do you want to learn about the life of a movie star or about something that is going to help you become the star of your own life?"
Make education a priority and commit to being a lifetime student. With this commitment of self-directed learning you will earn many "degrees" during your lifetime.
1. How much do you charge for your services as a CLNC®?
I charge $100.00/hour for "high volume" clients (those who send me five or more cases per month). I charge $125.00/hour for all other clients.
I charge $150.00/hour for consulting and any behind-the-scenes work, and $250.00/hour for depositions, trials, hearings or any form of testimony.
I charge $100.00/hour for consulting and $200.00/hour for expert testimony.
As a testifying expert, I charge $125.00/hour for preparation and $250.00/hour portal-to-portal for court testimony.
I charge $90.00/hour.
My fee is $125.00/hour for preparation and $250.00/hour for deposition and trial testimony.
I charge $125.00/hour.
I charge $100.00/hour.
In summary, the CLNC® Pros charge $90.00-$250.00/hour.
2. How much do you charge for locating an expert witness for an attorney?
My fee is $500.00-$1,000.00.
I charge $1,000.00 per expert.
My fee is $500.00 per expert.
I charge my hourly rate with a one-hour minimum.
I charge my hourly consulting rate for locating expert witnesses.
I charge a minimum of three hours of my time for locating a witness already in my database of experts. My fee is higher for locating experts outside my database.
In summary, the CLNC® Pros charge $500.00-$1,000.00 for each expert witness they locate.
3. What is the most you've ever billed on one case?
In a two-month period I billed a defense firm $17,000.00 on a nursing home case. I provided the following CLNC® services:
a.
Analyzed four banker's boxes of medical records.
b.
Prepared trial exhibits.
c.
Assisted counsel in the preparation of percipient witnesses for deposition and trial.
d.
Attended the trial.
e.
Prepared questions for cross-examination of the plaintiff's experts and witnesses during the trial.
This case alleged elder abuse and wrongful death of an 86-year-old ventilator-dependent male patient. The patient had respiratory failure, MRSA pneumonia of sputum (recurrent), congestive heart failure, atherosclerotic heart disease, hypertension and chronic renal insufficiency. He had been in the nursing home for only 11 days. During this period changes in sputum with elevated temperature were noted, and further respiratory compromise occurred, requiring 911 transfer to the acute care hospital. His family enforced a full code status, despite many conversations with his physicians regarding the severity of his medical condition and poor rehabilitation potential. On day 2 of his hospitalization, myiasis was noted at the tracheal site. Damages of $600,000.00 were awarded, but the jury verdict was no to elder abuse. Since the defense had offered a $750,000.00 settlement the day before trial, they saw this award as a victory.
The most I have billed on a single case is about $12,750.00. This case lasted more than a year. A young autistic man was given medication that resulted in his having neuroleptic malignant syndrome and multiple compounded complications. He went from being fairly functional in the community to being non-functional and totally dependent on his parents for 24-hour care. To read the full story, click here.
The most I have billed on one case is $23,000.00 in a plaintiff medical malpractice case against the state. I reviewed the case, organized the medical records, created a chronology, did medical research, located experts and prepared deposition questions for the medical experts.
The most I have ever billed on one case is approximately $13,000.00 for case review, deposition and out-of-state court trial testimony. The case involved a long term care facility that did not provide adequate resident supervision or control of smoking supplies. This allowed a resident to smoke on the patio unsupervised, resulting in extensive burns and ultimately death. The jury found the facility grossly negligent and awarded punitive damages.
The most I've ever billed is $13,200.00 on a case involving a 50-year-old male, post appendectomy with a known abdominal aortic aneurysm. A per-diem RN gave him a paralytic drug instead of an antibiotic in ICU (he was not intubated). The case settled a few weeks before trial, and his daughters retained the right to speak publicly about his care. They are currently pursuing a case with the state board of nursing as they feel this RN should not be allowed to practice.
I do not focus on how much I bill for a case and often do not know the total amount I have billed. My accountant knows. When I'm on the witness stand in trial and the defense counsel asks me questions like this, I say I do not know, because I don't. This keeps the jury from thinking, "She's in this for the money."
Suzanne E. Arragg, RN, BSN, CDONA/LTC, CLNC is the owner of SEA Consultant Company in California, specializing in long term care cases.
Dale Barnes, RN, MSN, CLNC, an independent CLNC®, has owned Barnes Medical Legal Services in California since 1999. She consults on medical malpractice, bad faith insurance, general personal injury, home care, elder abuse and research services. She serves as a CLNC® Mentor for the Institute.
Susan J. Burnham, RNC, CLNC owns Burnham and Associates in Washington State. She has been an independent CLNC® since 1996 and specializes in quality of care issues. She serves as a CLNC® Mentor for the Institute.
Nancy L. Dion, RN, MSM, CPHQ, CHCRM, LNHA, CLNC has more than 35 years of experience as a healthcare professional. She is a Florida-based CLNC® with expertise in clinical services, organizational redesign, quality improvement, risk management, executive team building and management. She serves as a CLNC® Mentor for the Institute.
Patsy Howard, RN, CLNC is the owner of Metro Legal Nurse Consulting in Missouri. She has 23 years of nursing experience in hospital nursing, home health, management, medical malpractice litigation and legal nurse consulting.
Colleen Lindell, RN, MHSA, CNOR, CLNC, Wisconsin, is CEO of Med-Legal.net, Inc., a nurse-owned firm providing attorneys and healthcare consumers with research, expert case review and opinion.
Gina I. Rogers, RN, BSN, CLNC is the founder of Medical Review Consulting, LLC in Kentucky. Her company consults with plaintiff and defense attorneys as well as insurance companies. She serves as a CLNC® Mentor for the Institute.
Marie Wendle, RN, BS, CCRN, CLNC is the president of Medical Legal Nurse Consultants of Washington in Seattle. She specializes in working with law firms on medical malpractice and personal injury cases and attends IMEs for her attorney-clients. She is an expert witness addressing standards of nursing care.
