A useful medical record review starts with a clear assignment. You don’t need every clinical question answered before reaching out, but a few details help me understand what you need, estimate the work, and agree on a realistic deadline.
Start with the purpose of the review
Tell me where you are in the case and what the review needs to support. Are you screening a potential case, preparing for a deposition, organizing care into a chronology, or identifying questions for an expert? Include the main concerns you want explored and any specific encounters or changes in condition that need attention.
Describe the records available
Give me a sense of the records you have and what may still be outstanding. An approximate page count and a brief description are enough to start the conversation.
- Date range: The period of care you want reviewed.
- Providers and settings: The hospitals, practices, and specialties involved.
- Volume and format: Approximate page count and whether files are searchable, scanned, or already organized.
- Known gaps: Records requested but not received, missing reports, or incomplete encounters.
- Supporting materials: Whether imaging reports, medication records, nursing notes, or other relevant documents are available.
Start with a general description of the assignment. We’ll confirm the scope and arrange an appropriate way to transfer records before you send patient information.
Define what you need back—and when
Describe how your team will use the finished work. You may need a preliminary screening, a chronology with source references, a narrative summary, or a more detailed clinical analysis. If you need a glossary of medical terms and abbreviations, include that too.
Share the delivery date and any related deposition, expert review, or meeting dates. Let me know if you need part of the work sooner. We’ll agree on the deliverables, fee, and schedule before work begins.
An example of a useful first inquiry
“Our firm is reviewing a potential personal injury case involving emergency and orthopedic care. We have approximately 450 pages covering three months. We need a chronology with source references and a separate list of documentation gaps before an expert meeting on November 20. Please let us know your availability and what you need to estimate the fee.”
This gives us a starting point for discussing the work. Patient identifiers and records can follow through the agreed transfer process.
Let’s define the assignment
Tell me what you have, what you need to understand, and when you need it. We’ll work out the scope together.