Reviewing Medical Records: What Really Happened??

Evaluating medical documentation and sifting through the jargon to get to what you need to know. Medical records can be intimidating and tedious for any criminal attorney or investigator to review. This session will be an overview of the medical record and what you need to focus on to help your clients. Key words and abbreviations will be discussed, as well as where you should look for the most comprehensive and understandable summary of the medical care provided.

To make it relevant and interesting, an actual case and its medical records will be included in the presentation. How injuries are evaluated in the hospital will also be covered.

This 1 hour seminar took place live on October 16 and the recording is now available on demand along with the handouts. Once you sign up, you'll have immediate access to the recording.

Upon completion of the presentation, you will:

1. Be able to recognize basic, frequently used medical abbreviations and interpret them.

2. Know where to look for a comprehensive, focused summary of the medical care provided.

3. Know where to look to determine injuries, injury severity, and treatment.

4. Recognize radiology and operative reports and know how to interpret them.

5. Determine what medications were given and when they were given.

6. Know when to enlist an expert’s help with medical record/injury interpretation.

7. Be familiar with how injuries are evaluated in the hospital.

Meet your speaker: Merriam Young MS RN CCRN TCRN

Merriam has been a nurse for 25 years, 16 of which include care of trauma patients, and the last 9 years in Surgical ICU. The last nine years she has worked in the Surgical/Trauma Intensive Care Unit at Stanford University Medical Center. Merriam has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master’s in Nursing from San Jose State University. She has a certificate in Forensic Nursing from the University of California in Riverside. She is a certified critical care nurse and a trauma certified nurse. Merriam has completed the four-day Advanced Strangulation Course and has reviewed multiple strangulation, assault, DUI, domestic violence, and homicide cases.

Merriam has been qualified to testify on strangulation, blunt force trauma, traumatic brain injury and acceptable medical practice for blood draws.

Godoy Medical Forensics

Godoy Medical Forensics is a medico-legal consulting firm that specializes in criminal law. We have assisted the prosecution and the defense on over 1000 cases and offer assistance in civil cases as well.

We have experts in Strangulation, Blunt Force Trauma, Child Abuse, and Traumatic Brain Injury. While our offices are located out of Northern California, we have nurses on both sides of the country ready to testify in your case. Our doctors are specialists in Emergency Medicine, Orthopedics, Toxicology, and Radiology. We are accepting new cases and work with both private attorneys and government organizations. Contact us today at [email protected]!