Role of a Medical Consultant by Dr. Jen Motley

The following blog was written by Dr. Jen Motley, Warshauer Woodward Atkins’s medical consultant.

Part of my job as a medical consultant for the Warshauer Woodward Atkins is to talk to the people who call us with potential medical malpractice cases.  These calls allow me to evaluate the facts of a case and determine if it has the potential to be a viable malpractice claim – a case I present to the attorneys.  When people call me they want to tell their story, and I want to hear each person’s take on the events in their medical history, but I am also listening for certain features that give a case value as a medical malpractice claim.

There are several elements that are important in the equation of a good medical malpractice case, and each one must be there: medical negligence, an injury, and causation (the negligence caused the injury).  One is not more important than the other – they all must be there.  When I first started working here, the task of evaluating so many compelling cases was a bit overwhelming. I got caught up in the medical facts.  Michael Warshauer gave me some advice that helped immensely. His advice was to ask these questions: “How is your life different today than it was prior to your injury?” and “How is your life different today than it would have been had you had the best medical care imaginable?” These questions help me to quickly determine the impact that an injury has had on a person’s life, and ultimately, that is the reason people call us – life is different in a bad way.

So, when considering your injury or the injury of a loved one, think about how this injury has altered your life (or a loved one’s life). Do you experience daily, chronic pain or a physical disability that was not present prior to the injury?  Are you no longer able to attend to your activities of daily living (dressing, bathing, etc)? Can you no longer work or participate in hobbies that you enjoyed prior to your injury?  Are you prevented from caring for children or grandchildren for whom you were previously the primary caregiver?  Was your loved one’s life cut short?  These are just some of the questions that will help me determine the level of injury that has resulted from a negligent act so I can help our lawyers get started on your case.