Medical records play a key role in a variety of legal cases and insurance claims. Retrieving medical records when putting together a case has always been a laborious task, with requests typically taking up to a month to complete. It can get costly too, not just because you usually must pay for each record, but also because it can take multiple working hours to prepare and submit requests, as well as track progress. You need all the time you can get to put together a compelling case, but if a lot of that time is being spent on retrieving important documents, then it will not take long before the costs start piling up and delays become a part of the process.
Consider the following breakdown of this best-case scenario of retrieving records and billing statements:
In House Record Retrieval
| Processing Paperwork for Request | 15 minutes |
| Faxing or Mailing Paperwork | 20 minutes |
| Follow Up with the Provider (3 follow-ups at 10 minutes per follow up) | 30 minutes |
| Paying & Tracking the Invoice | 15 minutes |
| Reviewing & Scanning Records | 30 minutes |
| Total | 1 hour 50 minutes |
| Legal Assistant US Avg: $18.34/hour | $34.84 |
| Taxes, Equipment, Operating, Insurance, Benefits: 30% | $10.45 |
| Total | $45.29 |
This is a best-case scenario of how the entire process plays out and the actual time your staff spends on getting records from the provider. Mind you, this is the best-case scenario. What happens if the request is lost by the provider? Documents are incorrect? The provider takes 10 phone calls before they will send the records. Let us look at additional tasks and issues that arise that can take up hours:
Tasks Requiring Additional Time
| Re-submitting a Request | 10 minutes | $3.00 |
| Resending Paperwork | 10 minutes | $3.00 |
| Each Additional Follow Up | 10 minutes | $3.00 |
| Receive Wrong Records Reach Back Out to Get Corrected | 30 minutes | $7.80 |
| Affidavit (filling out, quality checking, etc.) | 30 minutes | $7.80 |
| Setting Up Courier Service | 30 minutes | $7.80 |
| Coordinating Courier Service (average 3 visits to provider) | 60 minutes | $15.60 |
If you must re-submit the request, have 6 extra follow-up calls, and must reach back out to get an affidavit corrected you have just added $48 of expenses for a total of approximately $93.29 for just one request.
By using R&G Medical Legal Solutions, all tasks having to do with managing the retrieval process fall on R&G. The only tasks needed to be done by the firm are submitting the request and providing us with any necessary documents. It is as easy as that!
On top of a budget-friendly process, we have a secure Online Legal Case Management Database System (LCMS) providing anytime-anywhere access to case details, retrieved medical records, and completed work products. R&Gs secure, online picture archiving and communication system (PACs) allows clients and/or their Expert Witnesses to view radiology images in one location, online, in lieu of pdf/jpeg copies. Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) features such as video imaging and panning and digital measuring tools are included in the viewer. There are no additional fees associated with access.
All of R&G’s medical-legal consulting or document management clients can:
- Track case deadlines and status of records in real-time
- Access medical records and completed work products
- Data is safe and private! LCMS uses BOTH redundant storage (to protect your data in real-time) AND frequent backups (to protect data in case of disaster)
Please call us at 623-566-3333 to get a free quote today. We can’t wait to hear from you!
