The Importance of
Medical Records in Iowa Medical Malpractice Cases
In any medical malpractice case in Iowa, a patient’s medical
records are crucial to prove their claims.
In some instances these records contain actual documented proof of negligence
on the part of the patient’s health care providers. Even if the medical records
do not contain this “smoking gun” evidence, they may provide vital information that
expert witnesses need in their reports and testimony at trial.
Given the vital importance of medical records, at HayesLorenzen Lawyers we have found it helpful if a client can request their medical
records on their own and forward these records to us at the outset of their case. We have had clients either mail or email the
records to our office or provide us with the records at the client’s initial
meeting at Hayes Lorenzen Lawyers. This usually leads to a quicker, more
thorough, evaluation of a client’s potential case. It also allows the attorneys
at Hayes Lorenzen Lawyers to ask more informed and productive questions during
a client’s initial attorney-client conversations.
Healthcare providers sometimes fail to provide our clients
with a complete set of their medical records. As medical malpractice cases are
won and lost based on the small details found throughout the medical records, our
office’s next step is to obtain a complete set of medical records. We will have our client sign a patient
authorization form authorizing Hayes Lorenzen Lawyers to collect medical
records and/or communicate with health care providers on their behalf.
Once our office obtains a complete set of medical records
they are indexed by a former licensed nurse and then further reviewed by the
attorneys at Hayes Lorenzen Lawyers. These
records are then frequently sent to expert witnesses for their review and are
used for various tasks at trial such as to point out inconsistencies in the
testimony of defendant healthcare providers or to support a plaintiff or
expert’s testimony.
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