Nursing (Nurse) Consultants

Dr. Patricia J. Bartzak, DNP, RN, CMSRN is a doctorally prepared Registered Nurse, who maintains an active bedside practice, in addition to nursing research and education positions. Dr. Bartzak demonstrates both a wide and deep involvement in the nursing field. Her bedside practice provides the relevance, skill set, and understanding of what’s needed to create an environment that promotes using the evidence, optimizing patient outcomes and leading the next generation of nurses. Dr. Bartzak utilizes peer-reviewed journal databases to locate research articles, and meticulously references her sources and synthesizes information on complex nursing and health-related subjects. Dr. Bartzak has completed the Intensive Course on Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) at the Fuld Institute at Ohio State University (2019) and is co-leading the adoption of EBP for a national organization. Dr. Bartzak has demonstrated skill in data mining and concept simplification to provide background and context for complex healthcare matters. Dr. Bartzak has worked in both union and non-union environments, and has background and experience to consult with hospital leadership to engage and strengthen nurse’s investment in the workplace. Dr. Bartzak has written policies and procedures and can assist other organizations in policy review and recommendations to ensure broad coverage, while also maintaining a risk management balance. Dr. Bartzak is versed in core measures and patient safety initiatives, and can provide an independent evaluation of practice issues and outcomes. Finally, Dr. Bartzak has taught at all levels in nursing education from associate to doctoral, and can provide recommendations related to student progress in the academic area, and issues related to new graduate nurses transitioning into practice. View Dr. Bartzak's Expert Witness Profile.

Janet L.Taylor,  BSN, CEN, CFRN, NREMT-B, is a Nurse with over 20 years of experience, the majority of which has been spent in Emergency Medical Service / Emergency Room and Critical Care Transport. Ms. Taylor has experience in all levels of EMS and Critical Care transport, from types of scenes to inter-facility transports. She has worked in various areas including ER, Medical / Surgical, Labor and Delivery, Intensive Care Unit, and Outpatient.

A Certified Flight Nurse, Ms. Taylor works with Life Flight Eagle, a non-profit organization that provides life-saving helicopter transport for critically ill and injured patients in Kansas and Missouri communities surrounding Kansas City.  

Consulting Services - Ms. Taylor also works as a consultant, researching current evidence-based practices to update current policies for patient care. She writes modules for online education and her employer's education department. She consults independently with a small rural hospital in creating customized education modules to improve their staff education offerings.

Ms Taylor has been chosen to speak at various EMS conferences all over the nation, offering up to date content for continuing education and improving patient care. She is also employed by University of Maryland Baltimore County as an adjunct instructor.

Litigation Support - Ms. Taylor is an EMS / ER, Critical Care Transport Subject Matter Expert providing chart review, standard of care, and deposition services. She is available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant.

Areas of Expertise:  

Emergency Medical Services Critical Care Transportation Standards Ambulance / Emergency Transport Standards Inter-facility Transport Standards

Flight Nurse Standards Paramedic Standards Emergency Room Nurse Standards Intensive Care Unit Nurse

Helen Zienkievicz has the unique experience of longevity and active engagement in two fields of expertise, Aviation Safety and Nursing. Ms. Zienkievicz has held, and continues to hold, a multitude of positions in both of these industries. She currently offers consulting services in Aviation Safety Training and Practices related to Flight Attendants and Customer Service Agents.

During her 29 year career with United Airlines, Ms. Zienkievicz has held a number of positions including Manager of Health, Safety & Security for the flight attendant division, Senior In-Flight Safety Investigator, Emergency Procedures Instructor for flight attendants and pilots, Station Manager, flight attendant and customer service supervisor and occupational nurse practitioner at a large hub station.

Career Highlights:

• Chairperson to the first major US carrier Aviation Safety Action Program for flight attendants
• Co-developing a corporate cross-divisional Passenger Incident Review Committee to review events involving passenger misconduct directed at ground, cabin or flight crew members
• Onboard Service Project Lead for United’s Aero-medical reconfiguration
• Member of the Air Transport Association Cabin Operations Committee

Ms. Zienkievicz holds a Masters Degree in Nursing Education and Research and is a Board Certified Nurse Practitioner. Her areas of nursing experience include Cardiac and Neurosurgical Critical Care, Occupational Health, Nursing Education and Hospice Care. She is qualified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and belongs to a multitude of nursing-related organizations.

Ms. Zienkievicz has been engaged to speak at FAA Safety Conferences, World Airline Training Symposium (WATS), Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) Annual Safety Conference, Air Transport Association Cabin Ops Committee, US Marshal's JPATs Training and other forums.

View Helen Zienkievicz's Expert Witness Profile.

Yolanda Anderson, RN, BSN, CEN, CLNC is a Registered Nurse and has been working in the Emergency Department for more than 25 years. She began work in the Emergency Department of Los Angeles County, USC Medical Center, a level I Trauma Center. She then worked in the Emergency Department at Saint Anthony Hospital Central in Denver, Colorado, a level I Trauma Center where she helped initiate the Hyperbaric Medicine program. For 15 years, she was employed as a staff RN, Charge RN and Assistant Nurse Manager in the Emergency Department at Littleton Adventist Hospital - Littleton, Colorado, a level II Trauma Center. There, she helped with the expansion and reconstruction of the current Emergency Department facility.

A Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, Ms. Anderson is knowledgeable about all aspects of Hospital Care and Standards of Care for Physicians, Nurses and Ancillary Personnel. Her consulting services include:

• Hospitals, Clinics, and Offices - Consult and organize for the development and expansion of a new facilities or offices and related care patterns
• Personal - Consult with family members to organize health care history, needs, and medications and to help understand healthcare information and interpretation
• Teaching - Emergency Nurse Pediatric Course Instructor, Triage Class instructor, Charge Nurse class instructor

View Yolanda Anderson's Expert Witness Profile.

Kimberly M. Pearson, MHA, MBA, RN, CCHP is a Correctional Healthcare Consultant with over 35 years of experience in the healthcare industry, including correctional healthcare (both medical and mental health), clinical nursing, management, and administration in a variety of healthcare venues. In her role as Deputy Agency Director for the Orange County Health Care Agency, Ms. Pearson was responsible for all medical and mental health care provided in the Orange County (California) adult and juvenile detention facilities. The adult jail system ranks in the "top ten" in the country in terms of size, with an average daily population of over 6,500 inmates. She has been honored as a National Award Recipient for Excellence in Executive Leadership at the 2016 Nurse.com Nursing Excellence GEM Awards (Giving Excellence Meaning). 

An expert in her field, Ms. Pearson delivers seminars and lectures on Correctional Healthcare topics around the country. In 2019, she  spoke on “The Art of Managing Regulatory Inspections,” to the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare in Fort Lauderdale, FL, on “Clinical Management for High-Risk Patients in this Litigious Environment,” to the American Correctional Health Services Association in San Jose, CA, and “Sticking Together: A Cohesive Correctional Healthcare Delivery System,” to the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare Leadership Institute in Las Vegas, NV. 

Litigation Support - Ms. Pearson previously provided Medical Malpractice and Wrongful Death case reviews as an in-house consultant for two law firms in the Midwest. She is currently the CEO/President of KP Consulting LLC, consulting on policy and procedure development and comprehensive correctional health system review and recommendations. Ms. Pearson has served as a correctional healthcare expert witness in over 75 cases in the past five years. Her services are available to attorneys representing plaintiffs or defendants and includes comprehensive written reports for both federal and state cases, standard of care evaluation, and correctional health care deviation identification.

Constance J. Paine CCRN, LNC, is a Legal Nurse Consultant with over 40 years of nursing experience. Currently the Principal at CP LegalMed Consulting and a Staff Nurse in ICE at UC San Diego Health System, Ms. Paine specializes in Critical Care, Interventional Radiology, Medical Surgical, and Discharge Planning.

In addition to her comprehensive services to the legal community, Ms Paine serves as an educator, mentoring new graduates and educating staff on special procedures. She also serves in hospital settings evaluating staff and reviewing and revising hospital policy and procedure. Ms. Paine's fields of expertise include:

Acute and Critical Care in Hospital Setting:

• Pre-operative Teaching
• Post-operative Care and Instruction
• Discharge Planning for Home or Extended Care
• Infection Control for In-patients
• Wound Care and Instruction
• Intravenous Therapy
• Coordination of Individualized Care Plans

Interventional Radiology:

• Pre-Procedure Instruction
• Management of Conscious Sedation
• Discharge Teaching

Neonatal Intensive Care:

• Care of Level 1 Neonates
• Parental Teaching and Support

View Constance Paine's Expert Witness Profile.

Dawn Cook Consulting is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada but provides services nation wide. Services include life care plans, life care plan rebuttals, past medical bill reviews and future medical cost projections for plaintiff and defense attorneys. Life care plans are developed for individuals with injuries or chronic conditions requiring complex long-term healthcare intervention and management. The report provides an organized, concise plan that estimates the reasonable and necessary current and future healthcare needs with the associated costs.

Dawn Cook is licensed Registered Nurse (RN) who has worked with serious and catastrophic illness and injury for over 30 years including clinical settings and home care. Dawn is an experienced life care planner who holds the certified life care planner (CLCP) and certified nurse life care planner (CNLCP) designations.

Dawn has completed over 600 medical damage reports in 28 states in life care planning and has testified as an expert witness at deposition or trial over 75 times since 2012. Dawn has testified at Federal Court in Illinois and New Mexico and at State Court in California, Nevada and New Mexico as an expert in life care planning. Dawn has also testified in Nevada State Court as an expert in past medical bill reviews.

Dawn enjoys working both plaintiff and defense cases; from complex birth or brain injuries to trucking and motor vehicle accidents, each case requires attention to detail and consistent methodology.

View my CV.

Donna Jones, RN, has over 40 years of Nursing experience in Critical Care, Respiratory ICU, Cardiac Care, Medical-Surgical Nursing, , and remains clinically active in Critical Care as an ICU Registered Nurse at Hospital Corporation of America - Eastside Medical Center. In addition to her Degree in Nursing, Ms. Jones also holds a degree in Communications and was editor of Hospital Peer Review, a monthly newsletter, dedicated to providing information regarding peer review, risk management and quality in healthcare settings. . Ms. Jones offers consulting services to professional teams looking to utilize her training and extensive experience in reviewing and analyzing medical charts, determining the merit of a case, completeness of records, writing reports, developing time lines, giving depositions and testifying at trials regarding standard of care provided by nurses. Ms. Jones has been a guest speaker at “Alive Expo,” at the World Congress Center in Atlanta, focusing on “Maintaining your Health Care,” and has been a Guest Lecturer for the National Business Institute Seminar on “Anatomy & Physiology for Attorneys." Ms. Jones has also been interviewed on the Web Radio Program, "For Nurses by Nurses," regarding nursing care in the 21st Century. Ms. Jones also shares her knowledge with paralegals at the Institute for Paralegal Education (IPE) with regard to obtaining and reviewing medical records.

View Donna Jones' Expert Witness Profile.

Ms. Elizabeth D'Alesio has 30 years experience in ICU, including Medical, Surgical and Acute Care. She is ICU certified. She has managed the ICU and telemetry floor which includes bed monitoring. Ms. D'Alesio has also been involved with creating policy/procedure to meet JACHO requirements as well as ongoing recruiting of new ICU staff. She has served on the ethics committee for four years while in management.

Ms. D'Alesio is currently employed at the Reproductive Science Center of Milford and Milford Regional Medical Center where she administers Conscious Sedation, assists physicians with pacemakers, arteriograms and picc lines for septic patients.She currently holds certifications as and Adult Nurse Practitioner and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner,and has recently completed the Kaplan Life Care Planning Course.

Lois Hawkins, RN, CLCP of Hawkins Forensic Consulting, Inc, specializes in Medical and Vocational Damage Assessment in personal injury and catastrophic injury cases throughout the United States. For over 10 years, Ms. Hawkins has been evaluating cases involving children and adults with complex, catastrophic injuries, as well as less serious injuries.

Areas of Expertise:

• Catastrophic Medical Case Management - Traumatic Brain Injury, Acquired Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Amputation, Soft Tissue Injury, Chronic Pain, Burns, Cerebral Palsy & Developmental Delay, Chronic Respiratory Conditions, Visual & Hearing Impaired
• Life Care Planning - Comprehensive Record Review and supportive documentation / Case Analysis, Case Summary Chronology, Clinical Interview and History with Patient, Medical-Legal Research, Assessment of Future Medical / Rehabilitation Needs
• Legal Nurse Consulting

Professional Memberships and Associations
International Academy of Life Care Planners (IALCP) - Present
International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP) - Present
American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC) - Past
American Operating Room Nurse (AORN ) - Past

Kathryn J. Wild RN, MPA, CCHP has worked in the Correctional Healthcare field for over 28 years. She has consulted for counties and detention facilities that required a review of health services with recommendations for improvement, with regular follow up and re-evaluation, as well as legal case review. Ms. Wild has many years of experience in Clinical Nursing, supervision, management and strategic planning. Her current consulting services include program review and design, problem solving, and legal nurse consulting.

Ms. Wild's background includes working with the Orange County Health Care Agency in Orange County, CA as the Deputy Agency Director of Correctional Health Services. Before that she was the Health Services Administrator for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in San Bernardino, CA.

Ms. Wild has delivered presentation within her area of expertise to such organizations as the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, the American, Correctional Health Services Association, and the American Jail Association.

Selected Professional Certificates and Awards:

• California Healthcare Foundation (CHCF) - Health Care Leadership Program, Cohort VII - 2007/2009 Fellowship
• 2008 Woman of Distinction – Assemblyman Bill Emmerson’s 4th Annual 63rd District’s - Women of Distinction Awards
• 2007 Distinguished Service Award – American Correctional Health Services Association (ACHSA)
• Certified Correctional Healthcare Professional (C.C.H.P) since 1991
• Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ) – Correctional Accreditation Surveyor

View Kathryn Wild's Expert Witness Profile.

Kohler Healthcare Consulting, Inc., is an effective, cutting-edge Healthcare Consulting firm employing credentialed nurses, accountants, and coders since 1980. With clients across the United States and Virgin Islands, Kohler Healthcare Consulting has extensive relationships with healthcare organizations including academic medical centers, large and small hospitals, critical access hospitals, physician / medical practices, long term acute medical facilities skilled nursing facilities, and other healthcare providers.

Consulting Services:

Revenue Cycle Fiscal and Clinical Operational Improvement Financial Operations

Regulatory and Compliance Consulting Education and Training Due Diligence

Charlotte L. Kohler, [RN], CPA, CVA, CRCE-I , CPC, CHBC, President of Kohler HealthCare Consulting, Inc., specializes in litigation, investigation, accounting, auditing, and consulting. She has over 30 years of healthcare experience starting with the clinical side of nursing to the finance and compliance side of healthcare.

During her years at Kohler HealthCare Consulting, Ms. Kohler and her firm provided regulatory compliance services to over 60% of all hospitals in Maryland as well as hospitals and other health related organizations outside of Maryland. She continues to provide reimbursement regulatory support to attorneys regarding billing, coding, and documentation in the areas of home care, radiology, hospital billing, DME, Therapy, ASC, anesthesia, and physician practices. She also provides services as an independent review organization for providers under Integrity Agreements.

Lynn M. Shaffer, RN, CLNC®, is Registered Nurse with certification in Legal Nurse Consulting and the founder and managing member of Legal Nurse Consultants of CNY, LLC. Ms. Shaffer's 20 years of nursing experience includes clinical practice in hospitals, outpatient clinics and physician offices, and supervisory roles. She has specialized in Long Term Care / Rehabilitation for most of her nursing career.

Litigation Support - Ms. Shaffer provides consulting and expert witness services for attorneys’ cases including criminal, disability, personal liability, toxic tort, and medical malpractice (specializing in long term care). As a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, she assists insurance companies and attorneys with screening cases for merit, locating medical and nursing experts, and analyzing and interpreting medical records for both plaintiff and defense.

Ms. Shaffer's CLNC® services also include: development of reports, timelines and chronologies to highlight the significant medical events, identify adherences to and deviations from applicable standards of care, and assess injuries and identify causation issues and pre-existing contributing factors. She also attends and reports on Independent Medical Exams in the Central New York areas.

Areas of Expertise:

Geriatrics Independent Medical Examinations Long Term Care / Rehabilitation Managed Care Medical Malpractice Medical Records Review Nursing Home Malpractice Nursing Home Medical Malpractice Nursing Home Safety

Nursing Home Staffing / Training Nursing Homes Standards of Care Nursing Malpractice Nursing Policy & Procedures Personal Injury Disability Wrongful Death

Mary C. Meinhard RN-BC, BS, JD, CLCP, MSC-C is a Nurse Attorney/ Legal Nurse Consultant, Certified Life Care Planner, Board-Certified Nurse Case Manager, and Medicare Set-Aside Consultant-Certified. She has offices in California and Nevada, and provides Medical/Legal Consulting services nationwide. She has over 35 years of experience working with catastrophically injured patients and clients as a Registered Nurse, in addition to 20+ years of experience as a California Attorney.

Ms. Meinhard is a skilled Negotiator and Patient Advocate, with excellent communication skills. She is retained by both Plaintiff and Defense as a Consultant in Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice and Workers’ Compensation cases, and provides:

• Life Care Planning
• Legal Nurse Consulting, including, but not limited to:
  Medical Record Review/Summary
  Case Merit Evaluation
  Attendance at Independent Medical Evaluations
  Expert Fact Testimony regarding the extent of injury, treatment, response to treatment, and pain and suffering
• Case Management, particularly for individuals with Special Needs Trusts
• Litigation Support, including, but not limited to:
  Formulation of Discovery Plans
  Preparation of Deposition / Cross Examination Questions
  Conducting Medical Expert and Opposing Life Care Planner
  Depositions
  Medicare Set-Aside Allocations
• Mediator, particularly in cases involving competing Life Care Plans

Representative diagnoses include, but are not limited to:

Traumatic Brain Injury Acquired Brain Injury Spinal Cord Injuries / Paralysis Severe Burns Amputations Orthopedic Injuries Complications of Pregnancy, Premature Births and Birth Injuries Complications of Diabetes Chronic Pain / Illness

Organ Transplants Chronic Renal Failure End Stage Renal Disease AIDS Non-Healing Wounds Malignancies Toxic Exposure Mental Illness Addiction

View Expert Witness Profile.

Kirsten Turkington, DNP, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, CEN, CNLCP, AFN-BC is a highly experienced, board certified Family Nurse Practitioner, licensed to practice since 1998. She provides quality healthcare and clinical expertise to patients, families, and attorneys on a regular basis.

Dr. Turkington's clinical background encompasses adult, adolescent, pediatric, and geriatric cases across Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Critical Care, Neurosurgery and Hospice. She is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner and Forensic Medical Expert with over 20 years of active clinical experience as a Registered Professional Nurse and Advanced Practice Registered Nurse.

Dr. Turkington provides the following services:

Medical Consultations Mobile Medical Care Medical Case Reviews Life Care Planning Medical Cost Estimates

Clinical Education / Staff Training Forensic Evidence Review Background Research and Legal Case Evaluations Independent Medical Examination Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR)

Dr. Turkington received a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree in 2014, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in 1998, and dual Bachelor degrees (BS -- Psychology & BSN -- Nursing) in 1994. View Expert Dr. Turkington's Witness Profile.