Are the Complete Medical Records Truly Complete?

𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗱-𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆?

Me: After reviewing the records ... 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨


Medical malpractice litigation requires precision

But to be precise, there must be transparency

This is called the discovery process

𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙙


After being retained, I am sent the medical records

And I begin to read through them earnestly

Page by page, line by line, value by value

In search of the elusive answer

𝗧𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 (𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮) 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱


Why do I emphasize the "𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙔" ❓

Because the "complete" records

Are often "IN-complete"

𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢


Because I have reviewed 109 cases

And because I am in active clinical practice

I know what is supposed to be in the records

And I know when the "complete" medical records

𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙄𝙉-𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚 ... 𝙖𝙨 𝙄 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮


Quite often the omitted records

Are the ones that make or break a case

But the attorney would not have known this

Without retaining the right subject matter expert (𝙈𝙚)


In conclusion

Ask yourself this critical question:

Does the person reviewing a client's medical records

Know not only what is in the records, but what isn't

𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 ...