Want to ensure your client receives the compensation and care they need after a head injury? The first step is making sure they receive an appropriate assessment as soon as possible. While pivotal for any condition, it’s especially important with head injuries, as traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are often missed – up to 60% are invisible on a CT scan, the standard first-line diagnostic method.
Even a “mild” TBI (also referred to simply as a concussion) can have dramatic effects on daily life. If your client is among the estimated 2.8 million Americans who suffer a TBI each year, they may be dealing with a wide variety of symptoms that affect them cognitively, physically, emotionally, medically and influence their ability to communicate.
Ensuring that your client’s injury doesn’t go undiagnosed or underdiagnosed is pivotal to both their care and your case.
Why TBIs get missed
Several factors may contribute to a missed TBI diagnosis. First, as mentioned above, standard assessments may simply not show the injury – and providers may not be well prepared to evaluate these cases. According to the Brain Injury Association of America, brain injury screening is “not routine across clinical settings” and not a mainstay of clinicians’ academic training. There’s a gap in primary and follow-up care; less than 50% of those with a TBI see a physician after leaving an emergency department (ED), while many patients avoid the ED altogether and are assessed by primary care providers. Finally, some symptoms may not show up right away, so patients may not immediately connect them with the head impact.
Why specialists can ensure proper care for TBI patients – and provide you with the tools to build a case
As a lawyer, you are in a powerful position to advocate for your clients’ care while making sure they are fairly compensated.
Quantifiable brain injury evaluations are a vital first step. A prompt, thorough assessment can help speed recovery through improving access to appropriate care. There are evidence-based therapies for the full spectrum of ways someone might be affected by a TBI, from physical and occupational therapy to headache management and mental health care. The sooner a patient is diagnosed, the sooner they can begin treatment.
These evaluations are also pivotal to your ability to make sure your clients receive the full settlement to which they’re entitled. Because the severity of the injury has a significant impact on that amount, it’s vital that you and your client have a complete picture of any and all effects. It’s also key that all documentation be courtroom-ready as well as medically complete.
How Nexus Triage can help you and your client
We are experts in providing comprehensive evaluations of brain injuries for clinical and legal purposes. Our process begins with a HIPAA-compliant telemedicine assessment. Then, patients receive a clinical interview with a certified brain injury specialist, or board-certified neurologist or neuropsychologist. As a final step, we generate a full diagnostic report outlining diagnoses, impairment level, and recommendations for further care and evaluation. That report is in your hands and those of your client and their healthcare team within 72 hours, enabling you to build the strongest possible case for your client.
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