Doctor Insights: Unlocking the Secrets of Medical Records and Imaging

Agenda / Content Covered

All times are shown in Eastern time.

1. Inside Medical Records and Bills
   10:00 - 10:45, Susie McGregor-Huyer
   1. Key Terminology, Abbreviations Cheat Sheet
   2. Dissecting Medical Records: Real-World Walkthroughs
   3. Critical Details That Attorneys and Paralegals Are Likely to Miss
   4. Cracking the Code: Medical Billing and Coding Insights
   5. Where to Go for Additional Patient Information
   6. Authoritative Medical Resources You Should Know
2. Dive Into Electronic Medical Records
   10:45 - 11:15, Susie McGregor-Huyer
   1. What the Doctors See
   2. EMR Issues: User and System Errors
   3. Reviewing Electronic Medical Records
   4. Metadata/Audit Trails
3. MRIs, X-Rays, CT Scans, and More: What They Do, What They Can't, and Objective vs. Subjective Findings
   11:30 - 12:30, Dr. David Cooper
   1. X-Rays
   2. CT/CAT Scan
   3. PET/CT Scan
   4. MRI
   5. Ultrasound
   6. Myelogram
   7. Other Imaging Tests
4. Use of Imaging to Separate New Injuries From Pre-Existing Conditions
   12:30 - 1:00, Dr. David Cooper
   1. New vs. Old: Determining the Age of Injury
   2. Evaluating Aggravation/Exacerbation
   3. Degeneration From Trauma vs Aging
   4. Recurrence of a Pre-Existing Condition
5. Testing for Traumatic Brain Injury
   1:30 - 2:15, Ebonye N. Green
   1. What Imaging Tests Can and Cannot Detect
   2. Glasgow Coma Scale
   3. Intracranial Pressure Monitor
   4. Blood, Neuropsychological, and Other Tests
6. Independent Medical Examinations and Reports: Behind the Scenes
   2:15 - 3:00, Dr. Charles N. Brooks
7. Rapid-Fire Tips for Attorneys: Effective Use of Medical Records and Experts
   3:00 - 3:45, Dennis F. O'Brien
   1. Requesting Medical Records and Authorization
   2. Adhering to the Latest HIPAA Requirements and Avoiding Privacy Pitfalls
   3. Selecting and Working With Your Expert
   4. Expert Reports: Identifying Red Flags
   5. Medical Expert Depositions and Cross-Examination: Questions You Must and Should Never Ask
   6. Admission and Presentation of Medical Records and Expert Testimony
8. Legal Ethics
   4:00 - 5:00, Dennis F. O'Brien
   1. Competence and Diligence
   2. Ethical Pitfalls in Working With Expert Witnesses
   3. Lies and Omissions
   4. Dealing With Clients With Diminished Capacity
   5. Safekeeping Property: Clients' and Lien Holders'

Accreditation Details:

DR. CHARLES N. BROOKS, MD, is an independent medical examiner/record reviewer. He is a fellow and past president of the International Academy of Independent Medical Evaluators and president of the Washington Association of Independent Medical Examiners. Dr. Brooks earned his B.A. degree, with honors, from Denison University and his medical degree from Wayne State University. He is also a member of the Washington Association of Technical Accident Investigators.

DR. DAVID COOPER owns and operates The Knee Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and the Jefferson Orthopedic residency. Dr. Cooper entered private practice as a general orthopedic surgeon in Lansdale, Pennsylvania after serving our country for eight years as a U.S. Navy Reserve medical officer. For four years, Dr. Cooper performed all types of orthopedic surgery, including neck and low back laminectomies and fusions, along with extensive open and closed fracture care. In 1980, he was recruited by Geisinger to open the orthopedic department at the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Hospital in Wilkes-Barre, where he was one of the first orthopedic surgeons in the valley to introduce knee replacements and arthroscopic surgery. In 1981, Dr. Cooper opened The Knee Center in Wilkes-Barre to further specialize in the care and treatment of knee and lower extremity disorders. He has personally performed more than 6,000 arthroscopic surgeries, ligament repairs and knee replacements. In terms of actually performing surgeries, as opposed to having interns and residents handle the cases, Dr. Cooper is one of the most experienced knee surgeons in the world, as well as being board certified for life by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, the highest honor that any medical specialist practicing in the U.S. can obtain. As a sought - after speaker by many national organizations, he has spoken at the national conferences of the American Bar Association, and the Risk Insurance Management Society national meetings in New Orleans and Atlanta. Dr. Cooper is an adjunct professor at Binghamton University and Kings University. He is also a frequent guest lecturer at Binghamton University, Kings University and the University of Scranton. Dr. Cooper has been a private pilot for over 30 years and enjoys flying his turbine Bonanza to conferences and lectures.

EBONYE N. GREEN, MNSc, CNRN, ACNS-AG, APN, began serving as the inpatient Advanced Practice Registered Nurse for the College of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 2013. She began as a staff nurse in a neuroscience ICU at St. Louis University Hospital in St. Louis, MO, in 2005. She later became a travel nurse working in some of the country's top neurosurgical intensive care units and Gamma Knife, including Washington Hospital Center and Johns Hopkins Hospital. Ms. Green joined UAMS as a staff nurse in the neuro/medical ICU in 2009. From there, she climbed the clinical ladder to become the Interim Clinical Services Manager, while earning her Advanced Practice degree. She has a masters in nursing science from UAMS, a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and a Bachelor's degree in Nursing from Deaconess College of Nursing. Ms. Green is a fellow of the Neurocritical Care Society, a member of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN), American Association of Nurse Practitioners, American Association of Critical Care Nurses, American Association of Neurological Surgeons and serves on the AANN Board of Directors as a Director-At-Large, as past Chair of AANN Advocacy Committee, as past facilitator of the Neurotrauma Special Focus group for AANN. She is passionate about educating staff to grow their knowledge to better care for their patients and families.

SUSIE MCGREGOR-HUYER R.N., M.S.N., is the founder and principal of Medical Damages, based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Medical Damages is a Life Care Planning and Nurse Consulting business designed to assist attorneys and insurance companies in looking both forward and backward in medically related cases in the areas of Personal Injury, Workers Compensation and Medical Malpractice. Ms. McGregor-Huyer has both her bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing. Post graduate educational experience includes Legal Nurse Consulting, Forensic Nursing, Medicare Set Asides, Nurse Life Care Planning, Geriatrics and Case Management. Ms. McGregor-Huyer also has experience as a Paramedic, Emergency and Critical Care nursing, and is currently clinically active in Hospice and Assisted Living/Memory Care. Affiliations include American Association of Nurse Life Care Planners, International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals, Juris Education, Research and Knowledge, and PATH International. She is a frequent lecturer to paralegals and attorneys in the areas of nursing, medical records analysis and ethics.

DENNIS F. O'BRIEN is a sole proprietor at the law office of Dennis F. O'Brien, P.A., where his full-time civil litigation practice focuses on serious personal injury, product liability, including drug and medical devices, medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, appellate work and general civil litigation. Mr. O'Brien is a member of the Maryland State, Harford County, Baltimore County and Baltimore City bar associations, the American Association for Justice, and is admitted to the U.S. District Court, District of Maryland, U.S. Court of Appeals (Fourth Cir.) and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. O’Brien is the co-author and author of a variety of articles and is currently working on a book, "Accident Reconstruction for Lawyers," to be nationally published by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA). He earned his B.S. degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and his J.D. degree, cum laude, from the Baltimore School of Law.