How Medical Record Retrieval Companies Support Law Firms

How Medical Record Retrieval Companies Support Law Firms

Lawyers use the service of medical record retrieval companies to collect the medical records they need. This helps them save time and costs in the long run.

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This is the age of automation, and lawyers who were initially averse to change their traditional way of working are also increasingly adopting advanced computer systems. Electronic medical record retrieval and management is one option available to lawyers now. Apart from this, use of technology is seen in electronic filing of lawsuits, use of email for communication purposes, electronic legal research, and use of advanced document management systems. Lawyers alternately use the service of medical record retrieval companies to collect the medical records they need to develop their case. Using these solutions allows them to save significant amounts of time, cost and accountability for missed deadlines. Another advantage is that law firms can go ahead and take up complex cases without having to expand their existing infrastructure.

Let us look at the main problems law firms face in connection with medical record retrieval.  Large volume medical record requests: Even if additional staff is deployed for this process, it can prove overwhelming. This is because for each record you need to track down the appropriate contact information of the providers and get in contact with them. There will be a number of follow-up calls also.  Issues with accounting: Payment logistics could be tedious with checks having to be issued for individual invoices to individual providers before the medical records would be released.  Loss of time: With many medical records caught up in the request cycle, there could be considerable loss of valuable time.

If an in-house team is to be set up for all this, it would involve recruiting a much larger staff than the law firm currently has, or would want to bring on.

So, how can medical record retrieval companies be of assistance to attorneys and their law firms?  The medical record retrieval process is put into motion after the medical and provider information has been collected and an HIPAA authorization form has been obtained by the client. The requester has to submit the request with the HIPAA form to Healthcare Organizations including Release of Information, Health Information Management, and Medical Records departments. Some organizations/departments accept requests by fax or www.mosmedicalrecordreview.com

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electronic means of communication, and some others want the requests to be sent with an original signature. This entire process, which is an important part of preparing the case and going ahead to win it, can be very tedious and overwhelming. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to outsource this task to an experienced outsourcing company.  A good company would have an online, web-based system for ordering records, delivering and managing records, including storage and backup. Typically, service is provided round the clock.  The user-interface would be simple, so that placing the requests, status tracking and reporting are all easy and efficient.  The outsourcing partner can also take care of the follow-up calls and thereby minimize backlog among the in-house staff. Many follow-up calls will have to be made:  Follow-up calls to requestees to ensure receipt of the request, and be in control of the workflow and keep track of the approximate time of arrival of the medical records. Calls could be anywhere between 2 and 10 every month.  Often, healthcare organizations and medical records departments subcontract the records process to a copying service or online health portal companies. In such cases, followup calls must be made to these companies as well.  The collected records will be safely stored in the cloud or in secure servers with minimal risk of data loss. This is convenient for the attorney who need not become stressed out over the safety of sensitive medical records. Easy access is also provided to the records.

Medical record retrieval companies can offer the above-mentioned benefits for law firms and lessen the burden on in-house staff. Legal professionals can focus on building strong cases. The record retrieval process can be entirely or partly outsourced, as required. A virtual partner such as a reliable outsourcing firm can help the law firm grow and also enjoy an added competitive advantage.

www.mosmedicalrecordreview.com

918-221-7791