Standards for patient care in the long-term care environment have been developed over many years. Many hands have contributed to the resulting specifications. And Mary Mulligan, RN, BSN, MA, DNS-CT, CLNC, has overseen the entire process.

Have Mary and her team put this knowledge and experience to work for you, the legal professional, framing the case for a LTC/nursing home client (plaintiff or defendant). This will save both time and money as we can assess the merits of a case before you even commit.

As nursing and medical super sleuths, we can peel through a medical chart quickly since we know where the probable breaches of care exist. Through fair and thoughtful case evaluations, Mulligan Legal Nurse Consulting LLC can assist you in assembling cases with merit — while discarding the weak ones.

Understanding 'standards of care'
Collaboration between long-term care facilities, physicians, nurses and other professionals have established criteria in key areas of concern. These areas include quality management, infection control, staff oversight, ethics, residents' rights, risk management, and more.

The outcome of these collaborations? Evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs), which were developed to benefit patients by improving their quality of care.

The non-profit certifying body for nursing home medical directors known as 'AMDA—The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine,' established the protocols for these CPGs. They have become the standard of care benchmark in the post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) setting. The standards are frequently referred to by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) during its annual nursing home survey, because they are the only CPGs linking care standards to federal regulations in the nursing home/skilled nursing setting. The AMDA CPGs are also increasingly being utilized in assisted living communities.

Tip the scale in your favor
Medicine and law are both art and science. In any contested situation, there are nuances. Different interpretations of the same facts are routine — and can make or break a case.

Opposing counsel, for instance, may argue that critical care standards have not been followed. And sympathies naturally attach to an injured plaintiff. But how were those standards seemingly violated? Why were those particular standards established in the first place, and what results did they seek to achieve?

Deep knowledge of the evidence-based CPG standards, their history and development, allows Mulligan Legal Nurse Consulting LLC to illuminate a legal presentation for maximum effect. Thwart opposing counsel's efforts to paint an unfortunate result as malpractice with an enhanced understanding of the basis for the care provided. Clarify murky discovery with a LTC medical professional's insights and experience.


 
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