Determining Future Costs Of Care
Whether a person falls from a construction platform and injures his spine, catches her hand in a piece of machinery or is born with a birth defect that impairs his or her mobility, he or she will likely need financial assistance in treating the injury and continuing on with life.
Today, within the systems established to provide for injured individuals, the medical evaluation of the degree of an individual’s impairment can have a huge impact on the level of compensation the individual will receive, from all sources. Other issues that a medical evaluation will impact include:
- The injured person’s ability to work
- The right to receive different kinds of economic compensation
- Eligibility for protection against discrimination
- Whether independent living is possible
- What type of physical therapy might improve the injured person’s health
Such an evaluation should include the significant changes an individual will undergo after a serious injury as he/she progresses through acute hospitalization, then returns home. An individual will likely experience the best possible outcome with rehabilitation that offers an interdisciplinary approach and coordinated care.
What Is Life Care Planning?
Life care planning is the process of analyzing the medical and medically related goods and services an individual will need because of a disabling injury or disease. A systematic and logical approach is used to trace all the needs relating from the disability to the end of one’s life expectancy. Experts within the field of rehabilitation and case management are often asked to develop life care plans, in consultation with medical and therapeutic specialists according to their clinical specialties. All past medical, social, psychological, vocational, educational and rehabilitation data is taken into consideration to the extent that it is available and applicable. The goals and desires of the patient and family are expressed in the plan. Medical literature is surveyed to reflect current concepts of patient care management. Changes in a patient’s needs due to aging and the progression of his or her disability are also considered.
The life care plan provides for services that are needed to prevent or significantly reduce known complications over time. Potential complications associated with the principle diagnoses are discussed, and the care needs related to these complications are projected. The range of services in the geographic area or region and prevailing costs and standards are used to provide an analysis of costs. These costs are typically expressed as present-day costs derived from the best available data and resources.
Through the life care plan process, a template for current and future care is developed. The plan serves as a guide for family members, case managers and health care providers. It is not a prescription for care, but represents a logical blueprint for an individual’s anticipated needs and to provide optimal outcomes, based upon reasonable medical probability and current concepts of care. An individual’s life care plan may be used by his or her attorney in seeking compensation for his or her injuries and may call for consultation with financial professionals to select appropriate investment strategies to preserve resources over the patient’s life.
Get Legal Help
If you or a loved one falls victim to a life-altering, catastrophic injury, you should not have to worry about proper compensation or your attorney’s expertise.
If you have questions about how to plan for the future after a serious injury, please do not hesitate to call us at 386-492-0022locally or 800-365-8063 toll free. You can also schedule a free initial consultation via email.