Are you prepared?

You never know what tomorrow will bring. Anyone’s personal health history can change at any given time, but as we get older or our loved ones get older, the chance of this happening becomes more significant. Statistics from the National Council on Aging tell us, 92% of all retired age people will, at some point, have at least one chronic disease, and 77% will have at least two.  

If you can lessen the load for your loved ones down the road, wouldn’t you be willing to get their medical records organized, so you have the critical information at your fingertips when there is a medical crisis. R&G Medical Legal Solutions has developed a factual, chronological medical history customized for you or your loved one.  

Some items for consideration: 

  • If your loved one was incapacitated today – would you know what medications they take, the dose and when they started taking it, and why they are taking the medicines?  
  • Are you overwhelmed with multiple records filled with treatments or procedures? 
  • Can you or your loved one access or navigate their doctor portals? 
  • Would you know what allergies a new doctor should be aware of to minimize any complications or interactions?  
  • When was their last surgery? 
  • If you have this information, is it current?  
  • Is the information somewhere secure and available to you when you need it most?  

R&G Medical Legal Solutions has developed an innovative Personal Medical Profile with one basic idea in mind: a vital document for continuity of care or medical crisis. Don’t leave your caregiver or loved ones guessing.   

Our Personal Medical Profile is an easy-to-read, factual document for you to access or share with your physicians, healthcare proxy, or family members of your choice. All vital information will be outlined on the first page, followed by individual doctors’ visits, facilities, or hospital admissions. Our Personal Medical Profile has a minimal fee to get started, and all plans are subscription-based depending on the level of care your loved one receives. We will update the profile when you notify us of a new medical visit or admission. You will always be up to date to be the best advocate for your loved one. 

Whether you work with us or not, we encourage you to have this vital document. Please click here if you would like more information on the Personal Medical Profile from R&G Medical Legal Solutions. 

Coordinating Care for a Loved One from Afar

Being involved in the care of a loved one can be both rewarding and joyful. Providing love, physical and emotional support along with companionship is a noble thing to do. Some acts of caregiving are easier than others. Coordination of medical care is one of the more challenging tasks. Many caregivers find this aspect time-consuming and frustrating. For example, managing medication refills, follow-up appointments, and post-visit instructions can be overwhelming.

Sometimes a loved one can have difficulty articulating their complex medical history to a new medical team member. The caregiver is often called upon to assist. A chronological document that outlines the loved one’s past medical history can make health appointments much easier in terms of providing medical information efficiently. A computerized document is recommended given the ability to edit /update information. For example, the weight of the loved one may fluctuate. However, not everyone has access to a computer therefore a handwritten history will suffice.

As a layperson knowing what aspect of medical history to document is a challenge. For example, is there a need to document medications the loved one no longer takes? Why are height and weight important? Should every medical appointment be logged are a few questions to consider.

Below is a suggestion of important historical information to consider. If dates of diagnosis are known, include.

·      Name and date of birth

·      Do you know the patient’s height and weight?

·      Do you know important blood relative family health history (any significant medical history such as heart, lung, cancers, mental health disease)?

·      Are you aware of all past surgeries including dates and reasons?

·      Any past hospitalizations? Also to include reasons and dates.

·      Any chronic and ongoing medical history to include cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, kidney disease, chronic

pain?

·      What are the current medications and dosages? Include medications recently stopped taking, including supplements and over the counter.

Information contained in the document is meant to be helpful to a medical team member, if there is other information the caregiver believes is important and significant, it should be included.

In sum, a well-written document containing significant medical history can assist a care provider working with the loved one’s medical team. The document is meant to be flexible in that information may be added or sometimes even removed. The document should be taken to each health care appointment.

R&G Medical Legal Solutions, LLC is rolling out a new program related to providing clients with a “Personal Medical Profile”. Please visit our website at www.rngmedcons.com/pmp for more information.

Personal Medical Profile

Do you take care of any family members, and not know their medical history?

Overwhelmed with multiple records to keep track of treatments or procedures?

Do you or someone you know have a complex medical history?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, R&G can help! R&G has recently launched a new service called “Personal Medical Profile”.

R&G will provide your medical information in one easy to read factual document, that can be used for sharing with a new healthcare provider, family member, or caregiver.

If you have any questions or would like to hear more, call us today at 1-623-566-3333.

Assisting with the Care of a Loved One – What does Care Mean?

It is not uncommon to have to assist aging loved ones with their care from time to time. Our loved ones are “family,” and we want them to be healthy, safe, and comfortable. Moving into the role of the caregiver may be sudden or unexpected. With elders, it generally begins as part-time caregiving responsibility but can progress to a time-consuming activity, eventually becoming an overwhelming role. Over time, the caregiver may develop feelings of resentment and compassion fatigue, which in turn leads to guilt and shame for both parties. 

Many variables go into assisting with care. Honest and clear communication with the loved one can often clarify needs and expectations, which will decrease disagreements and arguments. For example, what does “care” really mean to the loved one? Do they want/need simple reminders concerning medication? Can they make their own appointments and drive themselves? Do they need housekeeping assistance? How about help with bathing and grooming? Conversations around these subjects may be awkward. The loved one may be in denial about needing assistance or be ashamed to ask for help. The caregiver may not realize how much help is needed or may overstep boundaries. The concept of “care” should be congruent between the loved one and the care provider. Otherwise, untoward issues may arise. 

Quality of life is a suggested area of the initial discussion. What does the quality of life mean to the loved one? Do they have preferred activities that bring them immense joy? What would create misery in their daily life if they were unable to participate? It is a critical area of discussion because the quality of life is tied directly to the loved one’s goals. Missing out on this crucial conversation before a caregiving arrangement is made can build a wall between the loved one and the caregiver and cause bad feelings.  

A good place to start in terms of a conversation with a loved one needing care is exploring what their daily goals are and what “care” means to them. Most people will agree that the goal of care is to assist another person in living as independently as possible. Harder conversations include where the care takes place, who provides the care, and the frequency. 

Exploring daily and monthly routines is essential when determining caregiving needs. Is the living environment clean and safe? Are finances managed adequately? When do meal preparation/eating, dressing, bathing, toileting occur? How easily are the activities of daily living accomplished independently? How are groceries and medications obtained? Are treatments for specific health conditions required? Answers to these questions provide a general understanding of the loved one’s needs. 

Respecting the rights and the autonomy of the loved one is key to building a solid foundation for care. Controlling, rigid, and dictating behaviors on the part of the caregiver can be demoralizing for the loved one.  

Taking on the role of caregiver for a loved one can be both rewarding and anxiety-inducing. The likelihood of a successful partnership is based on honest and clear communication regarding expectations. Ask them about their goals, what “care” means to them, things that enhance their quality of life, and what their daily routines look like. To reiterate, consider the rights and autonomy of your loved one when providing care. Remember you are not alone!  

Key Document Management System Features

R&G LCMS

The paperless office is here to stay, with many businesses, large and small, making the move to online storage. Document management systems come in various forms. Some are simple online filing systems, others are complex with features such as access control, audit trails, encryption, and data backup. The type of information a business maintains is a driver for the type of security needed as a safeguard. For example, law firms often need a system associated with case files that safeguard client personal health care information. A small business many need a billing document management system.  

A robust document management system should offer multiple layers of protection. For example, access controls allow individuals permission to access data. Two examples are personal identification numbers and passwords. Some passwords are specialized and require special characters. The more complex the password, the less likely a hack will occur. Audit trails are another means of protection which provide a history of who viewed certain data and when. It allows for the tracking of a source of a breach. Lastly, encryption provides a way to share files securely as well as limits the viewing of certain documents.  

A good document management system also has a data backup feature. This occurs when data is replicated to an additional system such as the cloud. Theft, data loss, or a natural disaster are just a few reasons to incorporate redundancy into the system as data redundancy is essential for speedy and seamless recovery. If there is no built-in redundancy, the opportunity for recovery of files may be forever lost. The key to redundancy is to balance the redundancy so that data remains as clean and up to date as possible.  

Document collaboration is a more sophisticated feature of an online system. This feature allows for mark up, versioning, searchability, e-signature and customized security. While overkill for some businesses, the features are essential for others.  

Customer support is essential for any document management system. A standard method for contacting the developer should be known and responses should come quickly when there are questions. A client portal with a help button is a common feature for many systems.  

R&G offers clients a Legal Case Tracking System as a secure means of online case storage information. The Legal Case Management System (LCMS) is an integral part of workflow management at R&G. LCMS is a state-of-the-art database providing anytime-anywhere access to case details, retrieved medical records, and completed work products. 

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) 

If you need assistance with a case, please call R&G Medical Legal Solutions at 1-888-486-2245. 

Medical Abbreviations

The use of medical abbreviations has been used since the development of medicine and is a longstanding practice. They are thought to save time and space when writing medical records. Additionally, they are cost effective and can be customized. While many healthcare facilities have gone to electronic records, the practice of handwritten records still exists, thus the continuance of handwritten medical abbreviations.  

Paper records are prone to errors. Illegible writing causes confusion and at times, a delay in care due to a need for follow up with the author for clarification; especially when it comes to medication orders and dispensing. Many abbreviations may have more than one meaning and the staff interpreting the record may not be familiar with the abbreviation being used.  

In 2005 The Joint Commission, an enterprise that accredits and certifies healthcare organizations, adopted a list that is forbidden to be used by Joint Commission accredited facilities. Below is the list along with an explanation of the potential problem.  

*DO NOT USE POTENTIAL PROBLEM USE INSTEAD  
U, u Mistaken for “0” (zero), the number “4” (four) or cc Write “unit” 
IU (international unit) Mistaken for IV (intravenous) or the number ten (10) Write “International Unit” 
Q.D., QD, q.d., qd (daily)   Mistaken for each other  Write ‘daily” 
Q.O. D., QOD, q.o.d., qod Period after the Q mistaken for “I” and the “O” mistaken for “I” Write “every other day” 
Trailing zero (X.o mg) (Applies to medication orders) Decimal point is missed  Write X mg Write 0.X mg 
MS     MSO4 and MgSo4 Can mean Morphine Sulfate or Magnesium Sulfate   Confused for one another  Write “morphine sulfate” Write “magnesium sulfate” 

 2020 The Joint Commission Fact Sheet 

*List does not apply to preprogrammed health information technology systems.  

The Joint Commission has made a recommendation to not sure the symbols for “greater than” or “less than” as they may be interpreted for the letter L or the number 7. The symbol for at (@) is discouraged because it may be misinterpreted as the number 2. Instead, providers should write out the words, “greater than”, “less than” or “at” as they appropriately apply in the chart.  

Misinterpretation of abbreviations may result in patient harm to include death. R&G nurses are skilled at reading handwritten records and recognized when a contributing error has occurred. If you are an attorney and need help with your case, please contact R&G at 1-888-486-2245. 

R&G LNC Services

Legal Nurse Consultant -AALNC

R&G provides services to firms of all sizes.  Services are performed by US-based registered nurses who possess both clinical nursing experience and specialized legal training. Effective partnerships between R&G and clients are facilitated through the use of Project Managers who ensure timely delivery of work products. 

Though not required, clients and Project Managers use R&G’s proprietary, secure, legal case management system with a built in DICOM viewer, to monitor project progress in real time, with the ability to access finished work products, anytime, anywhere.  All work products are customizable to meet the needs of the clients.

We use US-based Legal Nurse Analysts working in a secure virtual environment. We also offer our clients Virtual Legal Nurse Associates. R&G will match a highly experienced and appropriately specialized LNC to your case.  The nurse can work either on a short term or long term basis.  Client’s have direct access to their assigned nurse in order to facilitate communication.

Give us a call today to discuss your case needs!

Phone: 1-888-486-2245

Email: rngrfp@rngmedical.com

Your Trusted Legal Solutions, On Time, On Target, On Task

Hit by Ransomware? Check out these tools to see if any of them can help you.

Ransomware stock image

If you’ve been hit by ransomware, check out the tools found here to see if any will unlock your files. There are over 121 ransomware decryption tools and it’s growing every day.

Another couple website that we like to check for virus/ransomware removal tools is bleepingcomputer.com and majorgeeks.com

Here’s a recent article covering The No More Ransom website listed above.

“The project, founded by Europol, the National High Tech Crime Unit of the Netherlands’ police, Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, Kaspersky, and McAfee, launched five years ago and has grown to involve 170 partners across law enforcement, cybersecurity companies, academia, and others. 

The No More Ransom portal now offers 121 free ransomware decryption tools which can decrypt 151 ransomware families. They’ve helped more than six million ransomware victims recover their encrypted files for free – all without the need to give into the demands of cyber extortionists. 

Available in 37 languages, ransomware victims around the world have used the portal to help against ransomware attacks. The website’s ‘Crypto Sheriff‘ allows users to upload encrypted files to help identify which form of ransomware they’ve fallen victim to, then directs them to a free decryption tool if one is available.”  

Ethics Training Resource for Attorneys

Ethics word art

Ethics provides the foundation for acceptable standards of conduct and behavior.  It is a framework for determining right from wrong.  Given the nature of the sensitivity legal work, it is imperative for attorneys to be able to identify and avoid conflicts. 

Ethics training has been shown to have a positive impact. According to an April 2019 paper by Frank Fagen, EDHEC Business School, an increase of one hour of ethics training reduces the number of attorney ethical misconduct by 10.506%.

Completing training is now easier than ever due to the online environment and training is now readily offered in an asynchronous fashion.  Face to face offerings, outside of Zoom types of meetings, have all but ceased but should soon resume to some degree as Covid restrictions have eased.  

Pricing is always a consideration. Some ethics offerings are free, while some are available for a small fee.  Some websites offer education for “free” however, there are charges to belong to the site.  

Finding online education can be cumbersome. Subscriptions to sites that offer a catalog of opportunities are often an efficient way to obtain ethics training as well as a plethora alternative subject matter.

Knowing state ethics requirements for CLEs can influence a subscription membership.  The Mario Legal Academy has a synopsis of state-by-state requirements.  https://marinolegalcle.com/state_rule/rule-1/.  Lorman also lists state by state requirements.  https://www.lorman.com/Minimum-CLE-Hours-by-State.

Multiple competing priorities provide challenges in obtaining training. Below are 3 sites for consideration to fulfil requirements. Non attorney legal support staff may also find these resources helpful.  

Lawline:  Getting your CLEs through Lawline is easy but you must be a member.  As of 22 June 2021, $199 buys a 1-year unlimited CLE opportunity. Ethical Challenges Facing Attorneys Today is rated at 4.9 out of 5 stars. https://www.lawline.com/cle/courses

Practicing Law Institute: Paralegal and attorney continuing education is available at this site.  An offering on Ethics for Corporate Lawyers is now available. https://www.pli.edu/

2Civility: This is a site that lists other free CLEs.  The Buck Stops Here: Ethics and Professionalism for In-House Counsel is featured as a free offering. https://www.2civility.org/attorney-programs-cle/free-online-cle-resources/

LawShelf:  This site has a beginner level course titled Basics of Legal Ethics. It is directed towards attorneys but appropriate for non-attorney support staff.  https://lawshelf.com/videocoursescontentview/basics-legal-ethics/

In sum, there is no shortage of ethics training on the internet for legal professionals. However, knowing state requirements will influence which offerings are a best fit.