What is a Nurse Attorney?
Nurse attorneys have both nursing and law degrees, so they can adequately represent and defend medical professionals in court. Most nurse attorneys choose a courtroom career, so they help consult on disputes with insurance companies and help health care professionals who are involved in malpractice suits. Other nurse attorneys choose a career in public health to advocate for better legal policies, support nursing associations and lobby to mass new laws.
Nursing Meets the Law
Most nurse attorneys represent health care professionals in court, serve as expert witnesses in medical legal cases and analyze personal injury or insurance claims. They usually perform comprehensive reviews of medical data, records and charts to establish medical facts, determine clinical relevancy and identify proof of injury through the health care providers’ diagnosis or treatment. They work with hospital attorneys and paralegals to prepare medical record summaries and documentation. For example, they may create a full chronology of the client 's medical and injury history.
Their jobs are structured, multifaceted, fast-paced, patient-centered and highly independent. Some work as writers for legal journals and professional nursing groups.
Risk and Insurance Management
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They act as legal nurse consultants with clinical staff on risk management issues. They may conduct professional licensure investigations and attend claims management team meetings. One of the keys of proper legal-medical risk management is the education of staff members. All health care professionals must understand the inherent dangers from malpractice lawsuits, especially when the claims are justified. Risk and management departments in hospitals exist to promote safe clinical practices, continually improve the quality of care and support clinical investigations, risk analyses and improvement