Dr. Mary Vrtis is a Legal Nurse Consultant with over 35 years of nursing experience. Dr. Vrtis has an extensive nursing background and familiarity with standards of care, federal regulations and insider knowledge of how the medical care system works. She has reviewed countless charts for standards of care deviations and risk management issues.

Dr. Vrtis' experience includes Home Health, Long Term Care, Hospital, Nursing Education and Critical Care. She works nationwide for plaintiff and defense in cases involving Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Worker’s Compensation, Nursing Home, Elder Abuse / Neglect, Wrongful Death, Toxic Tort and Product Liability.

Services Include:

• Screen Cases for Merit
• Educate on Medical Issues
• Medical Record Review
• Tampering / Missing Documents
• Standard of Care Deviations
• Chronologies and Summaries
• Damages Issues
• Prepare Interrogatories
• Perform Literature Review
• Identify Proximate Cause
• Exhibits

Christine Hinson is a practicing nurse with more than 20 years experience in a variety of specialties and sub specialties that include Pediatrics, Pediatric Oncology, Ambulatory Care and Urgent Care. Ms. Hinson has been a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant (CLNC) since 2003.

Ms. Hinson's Expertise Include:

• Medical and Nursing Malpractice Cases
• General Personal Injury Cases
• Products Liability Cases
• Toxic Torts and Environmental Cases
• Workers' Compensation and Workplace Injury Cases
  
  
• Criminal Cases
• Any Case Where Health, Illness or Injury Is at Issue

• Assess Medical Records and Analyze the Case Identify, locate, review and interpret relevant medical records, hospital policies and procedures, other documents
• Support the Attorney's Case
• Serve as the Attorney's Liaison
• Work with Experts and Other Witnesses
• Assist with Discovery and Preparing for Court

Ms. Patsy Berry is a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant (CLNC) assisting Plaintiff and Defense Attorneys. She has over 32 years of experience, from staff nurse to supervisor, in large and small acute care hospitals, nursing homes, pediatric clinics, home health care, private duty nursing and hospice. Ms. Berry has taught clinical nursing at the LVN / LPN Nursing Program Level in the areas of Medical / Surgical, Neurology, Orthopedics, Team Leading and Geriatrics.

Services Include:

• Medical Record Review
• Screen Case for Merit
• Interview Clients, Key Witnesses & Experts
• Serve as Attorney Liaison
• Prepare Interrogatories & Depositions
• Define Applicable Standards of Care
• Assess Alleged Injuries or Damages

Laura Burchell-Henson is a Legal Nurse Consultant (LNC) with over 19 years experience in Nursing and Respiratory Therapy. Ms. Burchell-Henson has been retained in more than 350 medical related cases which includes testimony 120 times in either depositions, trial, arbitration, mediation or hearings.2b>Ms. Burchell-Henson's Expertise Includes ICU, ER, nurse supervisor, interventional radiology, trauma, surgery, med-surg, pediatrics, obstetrics, mental health, Home Care, Nursing Home, decubitus ulcer prevention, fall prevention, IV therapy,policies & procedures & an active participant during JCAHO & DHS on-site visits. Identifies standards of care, life care plans, time-lined reports, locate experts, identify tampering of medical records, medical records review, identify cauation/damages, client interview & physical assessment.

Caryn Leifer, LNC & CALA, is a highly skilled Legal Nurse Consultant, with over 13 years of nursing experience. Ms. Leifer is the founder and owner of Leifer Legal Nursing Consultants. She offers services to organizations in need of Medical Record Review, Interpretation, or Analysis. Ms. Leifer's nursing experience includes Psychiatric Nursing, Nursing Home Care and Administration, Case Management, Rehabilitation and Geriatrics. Her services are offered to both plaintiffs as well as defense clients.

Areas of Practice Include:

• Medical & Nursing Malpractice
• Personal Injury
• Toxic Torts & Environment
• Negligence
• Workers’ Compensation
• Product Liability
• Any case where health, illness, or injury is an issue

CARL BRYANT, RN, CLNC is a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant with more than 20 years of experience in the health care industry and 12 years of case review and investigative experience.

Cornerstone Medical Legal Consulting assists Attorneys-Clients and/or Health Care Providers by screening of investigating cases for merit while defining compliance to regulatory codes, professional practices and community standards.

Areas of Expertise

Profile: As a Registered Nurse and Licensed Nursing home Administrator, Ms. King has a unique advantage over other consultants with her extensive clinical and managerial knowledge of long term care requirements. Ms. King provides litigation support for both plaintiff and defense firms representing long term care providers including skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, home health agencies and hospice. Her expert testimony experience includes numerous depositions and trials.

Legal Nurse Services:

Gina Verity - Long Term Care Nurse Consultant. Ms. Verity is an RN and Nursing Home Administrator with 30 years of experience in nursing homes and hospitals. She has 20 years of experience in long-term care, including corporate positions, and currently works part-time in a nursing home. Ms. Verity is active in AALNC and has previously served on many state committees, and provided statewide teaching in relevant areas. She has extensive experience in chart review. She provides an honest, professional opinion in cases regarding long-term care and serves as an expert witness.

CREDENTIALS:

Ms. Sharon Hamilton is a Registered Nurse and a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. She has many years of experience working in hospitals, clinics and surgical wards in the United States and abroad.

As a Licensed Practical Nurse as well as an Orthopedic Technician, Ms. Hamilton has overseen Intensive Care wards and has assisted physicians with minor surgical procedures.

Experience Includes:

• Passing Medications
• IV Therapy
• Patient Teaching
• Assisting Providers
• Triage
• Emergency Care
• Acting Shift Supervisor
• Assisted HSA

Healthcare Litigation Support is a team of experts - physicians, healthcare administrators, reimbursement specialists, health organization experts, health insurance experts, and other healthcare personnel - with broad, extensive experience and expertise in medical and administrative malpractice issues, physician practice operations, hospital management, health insurance and TPA issues, Medicare and Medicaid, medical billing and collections, fraud and abuse, managed care and other areas.

Healthcare Litigation Support is a team of experienced healthcare experts who consult on litigation issues and testify as needed. In addition to the four Principals, there is a larger group of Associates, individuals with specific expertise and areas of knowledge, we include in order to fully serve the needs of the legal community.

Areas of Expertise:

Deborah Owens, RN, BSN, CLNC has over fourteen years of Nursing experience in Emergency, Pediatrics, Intensive Care and Home Respite Care. She has been a Clinical Nursing Instructor in the areas of medical-surgical nursing and pediatrics.

For over five years, Mrs. Owens has been assisting the legal community with her legal nurse consulting services. Her broad knowledge and experience in the field make her qualified to help lawyers review and prepare their cases for litigation, as well as help them find the expert witness that best suits their need. Her cases include Medical and Nursing Malpractice, Personal Injury and Criminal Cases including Child Abuse.

Consulting Services Include:

Julie Gunn, President of J.R. Gunn and Associates, is a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant (CLNC). With over 30 years of clinical nursing experience in a variety of healthcare settings, she is capable of assessing all aspects of medical care. Ms. Gunn is qualified to work with plaintiff or defense cases involving Medical Malpractice, Criminal Issues, Personal Injury, or Product Liability. She is an active member of the National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants (NACLNC) and the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC).

Expertise Includes:

• OB / Gyn
• Infertility
• Ambulatory Clinical Management
• Long Term Care

• Screening Cases for Merit
• Composition of Brief Summary Reports, Comprehensive Narratives and Extensive Medical Chronologies
• Location of Specific Standards of Care

Tiffany Kennerly is a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. With over 10 years as a Registered Nurse, she has analyzed thousands of medical records in home health and hospital settings. Having been a charge nurse and mentor, she was called on often to clarify responsibilities and procedures to hospital staff and patients, and is equipped to handle a wide range of medical-legal cases.

As a member of the Policy and Procedure Committee, Ms. Kennerly reviewed policies and procedures on a daily basis in relation to quality assurance and new research, and has a strong grasp on Standards of Care.

Clinical Expertise: Oncology, Surgical, Medical & Skilled Nursing Care, with specialty areas of Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, and Wound Care.

Services:

• Medical & Nursing Malpractice
• Personal Injury
• Toxic Tort & Environmental
• Criminal
• Products Liability
• General Negligence
• Workers' Compensation & Workplace Injury
• Any case involving Health, Injury or Illness

Ms. Lane provides consulting services as an adjunct to legal teams on Personal Injury/Medical malpractice cases. Legal Nurse Certified. Corrections/Surgery are our specialties. Over 15 years Nursing experience. Medical record review, research and application using diverse experience. We know the RECORD! Superlative customer service is our highest priority, our clients recieve the BEST. A Registered Nurse for chart review is prudent, we review the ENTIRE record, we integrate ALL the information. We simplify what juries need to know and easily understand.

Services Provided:

Debbie Fernando, Founder and CEO of Legal Nurse Consultants of the Tri-Cities, is a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant (CLNC) with over twenty-seven years of nursing experience. Ms. Fernando's CLNC training allows her to tailor her services to many types of cases, including Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, Assault and Battery, Toxic Tort, Social Security Disability, Class Action Lawsuits, Vehicular Accidents, Product Liability and Criminal Cases.

Ms. Fernando was recently honored to become a member of the prestigious Montclair's Who's Who in Nursing as a lifetime member and Cambridge's Who's Who Executive of the year in Nursing Consultancy 2008 as a lifetime member and hall of fame inductee. Ms. Fernando was also honored with Cambridge's Who's Who Executive of the year for 2009 in the Medical-Legal Industry.

Services Include:

• Screening the Case for Merit
• Define Deviations from and Adherence to the Applicable Standards of Care (Assess the Alleged Damages or Injuries)
• Prepare Brief or Moderate Reports from the Medical Records
• Identify and Recommend Potential Defendants

Ms. Lanette Blizzard is a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant with many years of experience which includes Medical, Surgical, Long-Term Care and Managerial Nursing. Her expertise also includes IV Therapy, Wound Prevention and Management, Staff Development and Regulatory Standards outlined by the State Department.

Services Include:

• Screen Cases for Merit
• Define and Identify Standards of Care
• Damage/Injury Assessment/Causation
• Organize Medical Records
• Identify and Recommend Potential Defendants
• Conduct Literature Search for Case Analysis
• Identify and Review Relevant Medical Records, Hospital Policies and Procedures
• Consult with Health Care Providers

• Medical/Nursing Malpractice
• General Negligence
• Products Liability
• Toxic Torts and Environmental
• Workers Compensation/Workplace Injury
• Any Case where Health, Illness or Injury is in issue

Tina Minkel, RN, BSN, PHN, CLNC is active Clinician and Nurse Educator who offers experience and understanding of the most current medical policies and procedures, incident reporting, safety regulations, nursing and physician education, behavioral health, training competencies and guidelines. As an administrator for three highly accredited medical companies, she is a leader in quality assurance and quality control.

Ms. Minkel also has extensive experience in both Hospital and Ambulatory Care settings. She is well versed in Medical Review, JCAHO, Medicare and State / Federal Agency Standards. In addition, she is a clinical educator for RNs and other medical professionals and is active in investigations of patient's injuries, medication errors, gross negligence, staffing injuries and incident reporting with diligent follow-up. Her cases include Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Product Liability, Criminal/Forensic Nursing, Class Action.

Services Provided to Attorneys (Plaintiff and Defense):

Ann Ray is a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant with over 40 years of experience in the Medical Field. She has managed day to day operations of two busy occupational injury clinics, and has developed a risk management approach to reviewing policies, procedures, medical records, and patient care standards in both clinical and industrial health care.

Ms. Ray is experienced in Occupational Health Nursing with knowledge in Chemical Exposures, Work Related Injuries, Workers’ Compensation & Disability Case Management.

Areas of Expertise:

• Medical-Surgical
• Intensive Care Unit Relief
• Emergency Room Nursing
• Obstetrics
• Pediatrics
• Oncology
• Orthopedic Nursing

• Screening Merits of Medically Related Cases
• Defining Deviations from / Adherences to Standards of Care
• Interpreting Medical Records
• Locating Testifying Experts in Medically Related Cases
• Develop Written Reports

Sherry Michael is a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant with over 15 years of experience. As the medical insider on your litigation team, our CLNC will review, analyze and provide expert witnesses to give your law firm the competive medical edge. Use our CLNC to discover the hidden secrets in your medical related cases!

Services:

Laura Toms, RN, CLNC, has experience in Organizing Medical Records, Screening Cases for Merit, Preparing Reports and Helping with Locating Testifying Experts. Ms. Toms is an Intensive Care registered nurse with hands-on experience in Level I Trauma Center. She is also experienced with assisting pediatric patients and their families to cope with a variety of chronic, acute, and life-threatening illnesses; she is skilled at teaching parents about their child’s disease and the possible outcomes.

Ms. Toms has a proven ability to remain calm in stressful situations. She has a solid understanding of JCAHO and standards of care throughout the country. In addition, she is a team player with a strong work ethic, solid organizational, time management, and leadership skills as well as PC proficient.

Services that Medisphere Offers to Attorneys - Plaintiff and Defense:

• Screening medical related cases for merit
• Define applicable standards of care
• Define deviations from and adherences to applicable standards of care
• Organize, tab, and paginate medical records
• Identify and recommend potential defendants
• Develop case chronologies
• Identify types of testifying experts needed
• Locate expert witnesses
• Identify relevant medical records, hospital policies and procedures, other essential documents and tangible items needed to be obtained during the discovery process
• Expand attorney’s medical library
• Consult with healthcare providers
• Prepare interrogations
• Prepare questions for depositions
• Prepare requests for production
• Serve as a liaison between the attorney and healthcare providers, testifying experts, parties, witnesses, and other consultants
• Assist in exhibit preparation
• Review, analyze and summarize depositions, including past testimony
• Develop written reports for use as study tools by the attorney
• Translate medical abbreviations
• Developing defense strategies & theories to strengthen your cases