Assisted Living / Residential Care Expert Witnesses: 8

Paul M. Adler, DO, FACEP, MBA, Medical Director for the Ventura County, California, Department of Corrections, has worked in Correctional / Jail / Prison Medicine & COVID-19 Preparation & Response. He has overseen the care of inmates in Jails in California and New York, as well as Prison inmates who have been transferred to county facilities to serve their terms for years in county jails in California. He has also overseen Correctional health car in locked units in Hospitals . Dr. Adler is the President-Elect of The American Correctional Health Services Association of California / Nevada, which represents all clinicians and administrators in Jails/Prisons in California and Nevada. He previously oversaw a County Hospital, County Nursing Home and ran a County Health Department and oversaw Correctional healthcare for the Westchester, New York Jail.

Litigation Support - Dr. Adler has defended Jails and Prisons in Southern California, Idaho, Texas, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, etc. He has been involved in Plaintiff litigation in many states including against Rikers Island, NY and Cook County Jail. Dr. Adler still works as a full-time practicing physician and has helped attorneys and insurance companies in Emergency Medicine, Nursing Home Medicine, Public Health and Hospital Administration since 1985. Dr. Adler is available to review and consult on clinical Correctional/Jail/Prison cases for attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defense.

Services:

• COVID-19 Preparation & Response
• Screen Cases for Merit
• Review, Analyze and interpret Medical Records
• Provide Basic or Comprehensive Written Reports
• Interpret Standards of Care, Deviation and Adherences as they Relate to Correctional Health Care
• Develop Chronological Time Lines
• Policy and Procedure Development

Lisa M. Cocca is a Legal Nurse Consultant and Psychiatric RN with decades of experience managing Behavioral Healthcare Hospitals. Since 2014, she served as the CEO and managed the day to day operations of a 121 bed behavioral healthcare facility in Youngstown, Ohio. Her duties included regulatory compliance oversight, performance improvement, and risk management for the 46 inpatient child / adolescent psychiatric beds, 56 child / adolescent residential beds, a partial hospitalization program and behavioral health outpatient department.

Litigation Support - Currently working as an independent Legal Nurse Consultant and Behavioral Health Care Consultant, Ms. Cocca uses her expertise as a healthcare professional to consult on medical-related cases. She is comfortable assisting attorneys with reviews of medical records, and understanding the terminology and subtleties of the healthcare system. Ms. Cocca has been qualified to render an opinion in legal cases as a nurse expert.

Areas of Expertise:

Services - Ms. Cocca reviews cases for both plaintiff and defense, assisting Behavioral Healthcare facility’s as well as attorneys with complex behavioral healthcare issues that arise during medical malpractice cases. Services include chart reviews and analysis, literature review, experience giving deposition testimony, trial preparations and court testimony.

Michael B. Vaughn, through his company, Golden Age Advisory, provides analysis and testimony as an Expert Witness with extensive experience in Finance and Valuation of Real Estate and Mortgages, especially in Senior Housing.

Mr. Vaughn's background as Director of HUD’s 232 FHA insurance program, and years in senior positions in mortgage banking and government, give him unique credibility and expertise. Until January 2018, he was senior vice president, and originator of FHA and bridge loans for assisted living, skilled nursing, and other healthcare facilities for Walker & Dunlop, one of the largest commercial mortgage banking firms.

Mr. Vaughn originated or obtained portfolio approvals for over $1 billion in HUD, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and proprietary bridge loans on Seniors, Healthcare and Multifamily loans in his career. He represented W&D and sourced new business relationships at numerous industry functions and successfully publicized W&D through quotes and articles in the Wall Street Journal, and senior housing industry publications.

Litigation Support - Mr. Vaughn is able to provide convincing analysis and testimony related to complicated financial cases in a way that is understandable to an average non-professional. Mr. Vaughn's experience testifying in both Federal and State Supreme Court trials.

Areas of Expertise:

• Financial and Document Analysis
• Report Preparation
• Deposition
• Assistance in Deposition and Cross-examination of Opposing Witnesses
• Federal and State Court Testimony
• Mediation

View Golden Age Advisory's Business Consulting Profile.

Cathy Ciolek, DPT, FAPTA, President of Living Well With Dementia, LLC, has over 30 years of experience as a Geriatric Physical Therapist. Dr. Ciolek is board certified as a Geriatric Clinical Specialist, a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), and Certified Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Trainer (CADDCT) by the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners. 

Dr. Ciolek previously served as Regional Director for the Pennsylvania Restraint Reduction Initiative (PARRI),  providing education and consultation for issues related to well-being (falls, engagement, medication reduction) to nursing homes throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania via a CMS grant. 

Prior to that, Dr. Ciolek served as assistant professor and director of clinical education for the University of Delaware, Department of Physical Therapy. She has practiced as a physical therapist in outpatient, SNF, home health and CCRC facilities over the course of her career.  She is a former Instructor/ Guest Lecturer/Lab Instructor at multiple universities including: Drexel University, Temple University, AT Still University/Arizona School of Health Sciences, Widener University, and Rocky Mountain University.

Dr. Ciolek delivers speaks and delivers seminars throughout the nation on topics including dementia, exercise for aging adults, falls and fall risk mitigation, and Person-Centered Care.

Geriatric Physical Therapy Thought Leader:

• President, Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy (APTA Geriatrics)
• Past President, Delaware Physical Therapy Association (APTA Delaware)
• American Physical Therapy Association
• APTA Geriatrics
• APTA Delaware
• Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association Award

Litigation Support - Dr. Ciolek is available as an expert witness for attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. Her services include medical record review, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

View Dr. Cathy Ciolek's Consulting Profile.

Neal C. Buddensiek, MD, DNBPAS, HMDC, CMD, has over 16 years of experience practicing Internal Medicine, and over 10 years of experience practicing as an attending physician in Post Acute Care. 

Dr. Buddensiek is Chief Medical Officer for one of the largest Catholic Long-Term Care / Senior Living companies in the United States (26 skilled nursing facilities comprising 2,100+ beds, 28 assisted living facilities comprising 2,100+ units, 5 Midwestern states). He holds active medical licenses in multiple Midwestern states. For 5 years, Dr. Buddensiek has taught Internal Medicine residents and nurse practitioners about nursing home and residential care.

Dr. Buddensiek is an Expert in:

• Long Term Medical Care and Administrative Oversight (8 skilled nursing facility medical directorships; 1000+ resident chart reviews for safety and quality control).
• Assisted Living Medical Care and Administrative Oversight (5 assisted living facility medical directorships; 500+ resident chart reviews for safety and quality control). 
•  Hospice Medical Care and Administrative Oversight (2 hospice agency medical directorships; average daily census 400+ hospice patients, 3 Midwestern states). 

Areas of Expertise:

Praxis Infectious Disease is comprised of a team of board-certified infectious disease physicians who provide targeted, timely telehealth patient consultations, and critical support for Infectious Disease Prevention and Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs.

Praxis ID specialists bring the most up-to-date, expert knowledge that is immediately applicable to help support facilities that cannot accommodate full-time Infectious Diseases staff. They provide protocols, procedures, and patient management so rural hospitals may benefit from the support of their own Infectious Diseases doctor. With more than 5 years of focused remote support for critical access hospitals, Praxis ID providers have over 20,000 unique patient visits, are certified in Antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention, and have a proven track record of improving quality of care. 

Litigation Support - A broad spectrum of clinical, theoretical, and organizational experience in Infectious Diseases makes Praxis ID a trusted asset for your case. Providing medical case review, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony for both plaintiff and defense.

Areas of Expertise:

Ramzi Asfour, MD, President of Praxis ID, is board-certified in Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine and has worked extensively in adult infectious diseases for the past 20 years. Dr. Asfour has developed and managed Infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship programs for hospitals and long-term care facilities while working in the field as a consultant, educator, and project manager. He has had more than 35,000 direct patient encounters.

Dr. Asfour guides fellow doctors and health care facilities in the treatment of the most complicated infectious diseases, helping them develop the most effective and responsible anti-microbial strategies.

From his time at the World Health Organization developing clinical outreach in the treatment of HIV to working for some of the top hospital systems in the US, Dr. Asfour has earned his reputation as an expert. He has extensive experience battling the HIV epidemic in Africa, working in Infectious Diseases in small and large hospitals in the US, and treating antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention in LTCFs, LTACHs, and Acute care hospitals.

COVID-19 Experience:

• Extensive experience in the Treatment and Management of patients suffering from COVID-19:
• Policies, Procedures, and Protocols relating to COVID-19 in Hospitals, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Schools, and Businesses
• Multiple presentations on COVID-19 for hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, businesses, schools, patients, and community members

Research & Planning Consultants, LP (RPC) has been assisting clients with expert services for over 45 years, including consulting and expert witness testimony for personal injury, healthcare litigation, commercial litigation and Certificate of Need matters. RPC also offers a wide selection of health data. They have served clients across the U.S, from Alaska to Florida and from New England to California. 

A Complete Team of Damages Experts for Personal Injury Litigation

Research & Planning Consultants, LP provides the following services: 

• PERSONAL INJURY - RPC provides comprehensive damages analysis in personal injury litigation. Their expert team has life care planners, vocational evaluators, board-certified physicians, economists and neuropsychologists. 

Areas of Expertise include: Life Care Plans, Loss of Earning Capacity or Support, Present Value of Damages, Medical Bill Analysis, Chargemaster Analysis, Neuropsychological Testing & Traumatic Brain Injury, Vocational Evaluations, IMEs, Section 18.001, Prestanding ED Chargemaster Analysis

• COMMERCIAL LITIGATION- RPC has provided expert analysis on commercial litigation concerning many industries: chemicals, refining, forestry, waste management, pipelines, water resources, oil and gas EDP, fisheries, agriculture, electrical generating plants, transmission lines, telecommunications, and real estate development. Our special expertise in the healthcare industry has proven valuable to business litigators unfamiliar with this complex industry.

Areas of Expertise: Breach of Contract / Commercial Economic Damages, Construction Disputes, Litigation over Non-Competitive Agreements, Environmental Torts and Toxic Torts, Commercial Disparagement, Wrongful Termination

• HEALTHCARE LITIGATION - RPC offers economic, statistical, data and clinical analysis in a wide range of healthcare litigation. They have experience with payment disputes, qui tam litigation, physician-hospital disputes, practice valuations and construction litigation. 

Areas of Expertise: Qui Tam Healthcare Litigation, Medical Staff Disputes, Professional Liability, Payment Disputes, Health Facility Construction Disputes, Freestanding ED Chargemester Analysis

• CERTIFICATE OF NEED - RPC provides Certificate of Need (CON) planning services nationwide. We have over 35 years of experience developing regulatory strategy, preparing applications and testifying in public and administrative hearings.

Areas of Expertise: Satellite Hospitals, New Hospitals, Relocation and Transfer of Beds, Observation Beds, Geriatric Psychiatric Units, Children’s Hospitals, Comprehensive Inpatient Rehabilitation Units, Neonatal Intensive Care Units, Open Heart Surgery Services, Long Term Acute Care Units, Projects that exceed CON Capital Threshold Limits, Projects for Specifically Listed Services, Programs Requiring CON, Hospices, Senior Living Facilities

Ronald T. Luke, JD, PhD, is a principal consultant and President of RPC, LP. Ron joined RPC in 1976 and became its president and principal owner in 1979. He has consulted on projects for health care providers, managed care plans and public agencies in more than 25 states. He also serves as an expert witness in trials, administrative proceedings and legislative hearings.

Active in the Health Policy Arena, Dr. Luke has been accepted as an expert in Economics, Socioeconomic Impact Analysis, and Policy Analysis by state and federal courts, and state administrative agencies. The types of cases in which he has provided expert testimony include personal injury, contractual disputes, health care payment disputes, construction defects, utility construction permitting, and certificate of need. He has testified on health care matters including market structure, billing fraud and abuse, reasonableness of charges, medical staff credentialing, workers’ compensation fee guidelines, utilization review, physician contracts, and managed care contracts.

Kacy L. Turner, MS, CRC, CVE, CLCP, is a Certified Life Care Planner and Vocational Consultant with RPC. She has over 20 years of experience in Rehabilitation. Ms. Turner has experience writing life care plans for both plaintiff and defense clients. She has experience as a rehabilitation consultant in three states and has been qualified as a testifying expert in state and federal court.  

Ms. Turner has worked on cases in several states as well as the country of Trinidad. To determine the pre-injury and post-injury employability in personal injury cases, she provides vocational testing, transferable skills analysis, job requirements analysis, rehabilitation plans, and definition of reasonable accommodations under the American with Disabilities Act. She is a member of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals, the Texas Association of Rehabilitation Professionals and Providers of Services, and Vocational Evaluation and Career Assessment Professionals.

Brian Piper, PhD,  is an Economist with RPC specializing in Quantitative Analysis and Modelling. He works on a variety of cases including personal injury and certificate of need. He is experienced in data extraction, management, simulation, and analysis using STATA, SQL, ARC GIS and a variety of other programs. Dr. Piper has taught graduate classes in statistics and econometrics in both MBA and Ph.D. programs.

Dr. Piper is an experienced expert, providing testimony, reports, and affidavits on the issues of economic damages in personal injury litigation, healthcare litigation, False Claims Act litigation, and other commercial litigation. He has testified on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants. 

Dr. Piper specializes in the economics of healthcare. He has been retained by healthcare providers and insurers in payment disputes. He has analyzed the reasonableness of charges and expected payment for past and future medical services for providers, insurers, plaintiffs, and defendants. Besides work in litigation, Dr. Piper has provided analysis of Certificate of Need applications and the economic impacts of proposed legislation.

Dr. Jeffrey Stone, DO, MPH, FCCWS, specializing in Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine, served as Medical and Fellowship Director for the Hyperbaric Medicine Unit at the Institute for Exercise & Environmental Medicine at Texas Health Dallas from 1992- May 2016. Dr. Stone received his medical degree from Western States University and received a Master of Public Health degree from Harvard University. Dr. Stone completed a residency in aerospace medicine at Brooks Air Force Base and a fellowship in hyperbaric medicine and Wound care at the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine. Dr. Stone started visiting nursing facilities in the Dallas Metroplex  in the early 1990's teaching, educating and caring for individuals with chronic wounds. He is one of the first 60 physicians in the U.S. to receive his certification in Wound Care. Dr. Stone currently provides care to patients in acute care, LTAC, long term care facilities SNF and Nursing Home) and outpatient care.

Dr. Stone has been widely published in many medical journals regarding his expertise in Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine. He serves as an Expert Witness for Peer Reviews, Legal Reviews, and Medical Malpractice Cases.

Areas of Expertise: Wound Care and Hyperbaric Oxygen-

• Pressure Sores
• Arterial Ulcers
• Diabetic Foot Wounds
• Acute Traumatic Ischemias
• Decubitus Ulcers
• Non-Healing Wounds, Venous or Arterial or Pressure Related

View Consulting Profile.