Case Study: Putting Clinicians on Call to Put Attorneys on Point
The challenge
The client of a small Wisconsin law firm claimed he developed hepatocellular carcinoma after his primary care physician allegedly failed to screen him properly for the disease. Following a review of the medical records, the attorneys turned to our Clinicians on Call service — Guidepoint’s on-demand medical expertise offering — to gain a better understanding of the guidelines surrounding Hepatitis C screening.
Helping a Madison law firm turn medical case theory into malpractice fact
The solution
Before even delving into the medical records, our experienced, in-house team of US-trained doctors contacted the Wisconsin firm to gather additional facts and provide preliminary medical context — instantly giving the legal team a deeper understanding of the diagnosis and patient situation.
After auditing the records, our physicians connected all the medical dots: they matched the patient’s birth year with the USPSTF recommendations for Hepatitis C screenings, prepared a literature review and highlighted the relevant portions of the guidelines for the attorney’s ease-of-use.
The results
Our clinicians’ literature review bolstered the firm’s case by providing concrete guidelines for the prosecution to reference, clearly showing the physician had failed to perform a proper Hepatitis C screening that would have detected the patient’s developing cancer, and was therefore liable for damages.