Facing a health or medical crisis is tough. There is so much medical data thrown around that it can be easy to feel intimidated and drown in the sea of information. However, to make your future safe and secure, you must keep your head above water. If you are just out of a major injury or medical treatment that has left you with a long-term consequence, life may seem a little bleak for you. You will be facing a lot of uncertainties in life and also looking at someone to provide answers, compensation, or both to make the ride ahead a little smoother. But, how do you know what’s right and fair to you? That is where a Life Care plan comes in.
Life Care Plan
A life care plan is a document prepared by a certified professional to look at your medical records and decide the various costs associated with further recovery and support required for you to have a functional life. This report is considered by hospitals, negligent parties (in case of accidents), and insurance companies to decide on a settlement, if applicable. This also quantifies the damage suffered by the patient to make it tangible.
Typical Items considered while drawing out a life care plan are :
- Treatment costs such as medical bills (past, present, and future)
- Any modification needed in the living quarters as a result of the injury or diagnosis
- Loss of Income – If the patient has been incapacitated leading to a loss of income, this will be considered too.
- Future treatments/surgeries costs
- In house nursing or nursing home costs
- Living expenses for the future
- Life expectancy
Besides the obvious reasons for understanding the quality of life you can expect to post the diagnosis or accident, there are other benefits to drawing out a life care plan.
Benefits of a Life Care Plan
- As per the applicable state laws, victims are usually eligible for claiming damages for the losses suffered by them in the future as well. Having a meticulously prepared plan by a medical professional can help you understand the costs and claim accordingly.
- You can use your life care plan to quantify the damage and counter the insurance companies or any other party on the settlement offer if needed. An itemized list becomes a little hard to argue with.
- If the settlement process does not go your way, and you move for a court proceeding, a life care plan is the best weapon of choice. You can have it entered as evidence and call for the testimony of the expert who prepared it. They can explain it to the court and get you the claim processed.
- Even without the malpractice element, it is good to have a life care plan handy in cases of chronic illnesses, birth injuries, and life-altering injuries. It will help you plan your future expenses well.
Who can help you with a Life Care Plan?
A life care plan is prepared by a team of experts from various domains to provide a holistic approach to the whole document. This team usually comprises a healthcare professional, rehabilitation expert, certified Life Care Planner, and a medical summary firm. A medical summary firm like ours would be responsible for reviewing the medical documents and summarising the discharge details for further examination.
These documents are further handled by a team of legal and financial experts to understand what ramifications it has on the case as a whole.
Life Care Plan – Summary
If you have suffered a critical injury with long-term effects, a life-changing diagnosis from a previous treatment, or a chronic illness it is good to have a life care plan drawn out. It can help you understand the long term effects of that on your financially, mentally, and physically. In such battles, it is always good to go prepared. If you are planning to claim insurance or file a malpractice suit, a life care plan is one of the best ways to prepare your defense.
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