Company Information HISTORY CLIENT PROFILES LOCATIONS CORE SERVICES

Transcription

1

2 Introduction Since 1983, MRC has supported litigation teams in all phases of document collection and analysis. With over 28 years experience, MRC still does business with some of its original customers. The foundation for MRC s long-term relationships with our clients is superior work product and commitment to cost-efficiency. MRC has collected over 250,000 records in the last four years and reviewed over 23,000 cases in one massive tort. MRC has processed over 3,000 record orders per week and managed over 45 million pages in the WiseFiles2 repository. Information on over 100,000 custodians is stored in MRC s database. The client s peace of mind is MRC s primary objective. Once baseline information is gathered and client directives are confirmed, MRC s operations proceed in an orderly, turn-key fashion. When changes are necessary due to shifting calendars and priorities, MRC s project teams incorporate adjustments gracefully so that the client experience can be seamless. The efficiency of MRC s workflow has been enhanced by implementing dedicated project-based teams. This allows all employees to devote themselves to the requirements and details specific to one assignment. Greater work efficiencies result as project-specific processes are refined and the project matures. Page 1

3 Company Information HISTORY Doreen James Wise, RN, EdD, founded MRC in 1983, as the sole proprietor of a medical research service. MRC has since grown into a comprehensive litigation support company, adding record retrieval, document management, lien resolution, and an online litigation management software as complement to the original nurse review product. MRC has provided support for some of the largest mass torts on record. CLIENT PROFILES MRC is most frequently involved in record retrieval, medical record analysis, and lien resolution for multiple-plaintiff products liability and toxic tort litigations. MRC also supports individual workers compensation, personal injury and medical malpractice cases. LOCATIONS MRC s primary location in is Houston, TX: West Sam Houston Parkway South Houston, TX Main Phone: Web Address: All operations are based from our Houston location. MRC employees have traveled to perform medical review on-site in law firms as needed, and MRC has coordinated on-site record retrieval across the United States. CORE SERVICES MRC s core services include: Record Retrieval Nurse Review and Analysis of Records Records Management, Mining and Data Entry WiseFiles2 Database and Litigation Management System Lien Resolution Product Identification Page 2

4 RECORD RETRIEVAL A recent survey confirmed that responsive customer service is one of our clients primary criteria when selecting a record retrieval vendor. With that in mind, MRC assigns the highest priority to courteous, proactive, and effective communication. We quickly and accurately obtain pertinent records including medical, billing, academic, social security, employment and others. MRC s clients benefit from specialized expertise and dedicated attention through Record Retrieval Project Managers. Project Managers include qualified paralegals who maintain current knowledge of state regulations and HIPAA. MRC s Record Retrieval staff also includes nurse consultants with in-depth knowledge of litigation discovery processes. Solution-oriented, we have successfully obtained records in every state in the United States - and also internationally! In response to industry trends toward cost-containment and efficiency, MRC has developed record retrieval solutions that offer substantial savings to clients. MRC has invested in technology that allows clients to place record orders and track progress online. Once records are received, they are scanned, uploaded, and viewable in a matter of hours. In addition, MRC offers secure capability to clients who wish to share record retrieval costs with cocounsel and opposing counsel. Advantages: An experienced MRC Project Manager oversees each record retrieval project and serves as the main point of contact with the client; High rate of return in obtaining requested records; Delivery ahead of industry standard; In order to ensure complete record sets, MRC nurses are available to research and identify additional providers; Records viewable and searchable online 24/7; Simplified, competitive fee structure, with options for cost-sharing. Page 3

5 NURSE REVIEW AND ANALYSIS MRC s core team of professional nurses consists of approximately 50 licensed registered nurses who have practiced in wide-ranging clinical specialties, with concentration in the critical care practice areas. Most have a minimum of 10 years clinical experience, in addition to experience in legal nurse consulting. Many MRC nurses hold advanced degrees in nursing and other related fields. MRC nurses provide clients customized medical record reviews and data point extractions to assist with deposition and/or trial preparation, selection of bellwethers, and in the various stages of settlement negotiation and administration. Over the past three years, MRC has reviewed over 8,000 cases involving over 8 million pages. In the past ten years, MRC has reviewed over 41,000 cases. As an example of our ability to accommodate high volume, MRC recently completed review of 1.2 million pages in six weeks. MRC nurses offer: Customized work product, specific to client s litigation and goals; Cost-effective Triage TM system to assist in determining next steps based on critical facts as determined by litigation team; Client-determined deadlines consistently met or exceeded; Scalable work force to quickly gear up to project demands; Regular review of efficiencies, adaptation of work product and reporting. The Triage TM process is recommended for a prospective view across all plaintiffs. Nurses extract clientdefined key data points from the medical records in an expeditious and cost-effective manner. Triage TM review provides counsel with the information needed to strategically allocate resources to claims demanding more extensive review and analysis. A more elaborated product, the MRC Chronology, details all encounters with medical systems and includes interpretive marginal notes; busy litigators find this work product essential for advanced discovery, deposition support and trial preparation. Accompanying the Chronology (or, on occasion, substituing for it), the MRC Summary Letter succinctly states the medical-legal essence of the case. It culminates with a brief statement, addressing evidence of use or exposure, damages and proximate cause. All nurse review services are considered confidential attorney-work product and are privileged. Each retrospective analysis of alleged injury and treatment is conducted utilizing established medical criteria and claims made databases. Analyzing the claim in context with other such injuries and resulting care assists our clients with powerful negotiation, settlement, and case closure tools. Page 4

6 WiseFiles2 TM LITIGATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Whether it s a few cases or a mass tort, the custom-designed technology of WiseFiles2 TM streamlines the flow of information. WiseFiles2 TM is a browser-based system for securing, storing, accessing, retrieving, and managing information. Built on a flexible, highly secure cloud-based SalesForce platform, WiseFiles2 TM allows clients a high degree of database customization to capture and report key variables relevant to their case. Customer-Driven Features After scanning and uploading, electronic documents are stored in a repository at a host server location. MRC can also upload documents directly from an FTP site or CDs. WiseFiles2 TM facilitates all document management functions - from uploading files, to retrieving and viewing specific documents. Powerful reporting capabilities provide users with instant litigation snapshots, including statistical analysis of the data. Database fields are customized according to project demands; Hyper-linking allows users to move from MRC nurse work product to the actual page of the medical record being referenced with a single mouse click; Secure access to documents and MRC work product is available 24/7 from any internet connection; Substantial cost savings result from unlimited local print capability - eliminating shipping and offsite copy costs. MRC maintains an in-house staff of IT support personnel, hardware technicians, server room and data security specialists, and software developers. Records Management MRC s Document Management division is equipped and staffed to handle high-volume document receipt, intake, scanning, and uploading. Our team of long-tenured data entry professionals mine key demographic and claim information from records received during the uploading and indexing process. Those data points are populated into the fields in the WiseFiles2 TM database to facilitate up-to-theminute progress reporting and analysis of key factors. In the last four years alone, MRC has processed and managed over 30 million pages. In 2010, MRC processed between 500,000 and one million pages per month. Page 5

7 LIEN RESOLUTION Drawing upon three decades of experience in supporting mass tort personal injury cases, Medical Research Consultants now offers lien resolution. As counsel are aware, during the settlement process, all health care payer liens must be researched and confirmed as satisfied prior to disbursement of funds. Expediency, accuracy, and thoroughness are paramount. MRC offers lien resolution services that set a new standard for cost-effectiveness and precision. MRC s lien resolution professionals: Research and assess Medicaid, Medicare, and private health insurance/payer lien status; Obtain payment demands from health care payer(s); Audit reimbursement demands, comparing relevance to the injury in question; Negotiate and resolve all liens; Secure confirmation that all liens are resolved so that case resolution may commence. PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION Your clients trust you to protect their interests when pursuing a products liability or toxic exposure claim. Be sure your case is air-tight and positioned to collect the maximum injury compensation by establishing solid evidence of product identification in early discovery. Product identification is an essential component of proving your client s case, as it resolves this key question: Does the evidence show that the plaintiff actually took the drug linked to their injury? Inattention to this detail can result in case dismissal through summary judgment, resulting in wasted resources and lost opportunities. MRC can assist in the collection and mining of information in your client s medical records. Key activities include: Determination of which drug was prescribed and ingested (brand name and/or generic versions), including manufacturer and dosage; Sorting through the complexities around NDC codes to determine exact manufacturer/dosage information from medical/billing/pharmacy records; Linking drug usage to injury that qualifies plaintiff for products liability compensation. A specialist in mass tort litigation, MRC is equipped to handle high and variable volume. Our product identification team includes nurses averaging 10+ years critical care experience, as well as trained nonmedical staff specializing in medical document organization and data extraction. Page 6

8 CALL CENTER MRC s call center is based on the same high levels of excellence, ethical standards and quality that characterize all of our service lines. MRC s professional call center staff: Screen and recruit potential clients from an informed medical perspective; Handle highly complex calls; Establish rapport between caller and MRC s client; Serve as back-up to non-specialty call centers. Ideal for interviewing potential clients responding to media advertisements, or for intake of product complaints/adverse events, every call center project is customized to meet the individual needs of the client. MRC can staff our call center with certified medical professionals or with skilled customer service representatives, depending on the requirements of the project. As a benefit of MRC s commitment to technology, while assigned to the call center MRC nurses are able to multi-task to other projects, eliminating the per seat charge administered in most call centers. Calls are routed via Voice-Over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) or a LAN line providing cost savings. The technology allows MRC to capture data and transfer the information from another call center to our system - all without human contact. PRODUCTION AND PRINTING MRC has invested in state-of-the-art, high volume scanners and photocopiers, enabling in-house completion of all record/document management tasks. MRC can also accommodate large format and color printing. MRC s full-service copying, binding, and shipping services set a new standard in customer service and quality. Page 7

9 Confidentiality and Diversity SUPPORT MRC maintains a Help Desk for client support issues and questions. The Help Desk is active from 7am- 6pm M-F (CST) and is accessible through MRC s Work Order System, or Phone. After hours support is available 24/7/365 via MRC s answering service. PROCEDURES FOR HANDLING CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION MRC s commitment to the highest standards for physical and electronic data security prevents unauthorized access to confidential information. MRC follows strict internal protocols for paper documents while being utilized and during their destruction process. MRC will not send medical records or nurse work product via any unsecured method, such as . All confidential information orginating from MRC is transmitted via encrypted methods. MRC recommends that all paper documents be shipped via traceable delivery method, such as FedEx. DIVERSITY MRC is women-owned, and is nationally certified by the Women s Business Enterprise Alliance (WBEA). MRC recognizes that our employees are our greatest asset. As such, we strive to foster a culture in which mutual respect is the standard and where different backgrounds and viewpoints are considered competitive advantages, an environment where all employees have opportunities for personal and professional development, and the recognition that diversity and inclusion are key components of our standard of excellence. For more information, or to speak with a representative, please contact: Medical Research Consultants t f Page 8