Life Care Planning Expert Witnesses: 11

Cruzora Physician Solutions, PLLC are board-certified, licensed and actively practicing Physicians and Life Care Planners. Cruzora specializes in Medical-Legal Documentation Review and Assessment Reports. We pride ourselves on the highest quality medical reports and expert testimony. 

Litigation Support: Cruzora provides objective, defensible and unbiased opinions in a clear and easy-to-understand format. We work with clients, plantiff and defense attorneys, insurance and government agencies. As physicians, we can independently formulate medical opinions and conclusions. 

Cruzora physicians are well-versed on standards of care and delivery of medical services within the healthcare community. Our services are available nationally and internationally.

Medical-Legal Services:

Life Care Planning due to Catastrophic and Non-Catastrophic Injuries Medical Cost Projections Medical Records Review with attention to Causation and Liability Life Expectancy Hospital Institutional Medical Errors

Third Party Physician Documentation Reviews Determination of Required Medical Services Reasonableness of Past Medical Care Future Medical Costs Associated with the Elderly Expert Witness Designation

Vera Dolan is an epidemiologist with over 30 years of experience in the life and health insurance industries. She is one of the leading mortality experts in the life insurance industry. She writes underwriting manuals and policy and procedure manuals for life and health insurance companies.

Vera has testified in both state and federal court, and has been retained in over 150 cases since 2006 for plaintiffs and defense on an equal basis. She is very credible testifying in deposition and on the stand.

* Life expectancies that are personalized and accurate to the standards of the life insurance and life settlement industries. Addresses the cases when life expectancies that are simply taken from a life table or estimated by a doctor, actuary or biostatistician are too long, too short, insufficient or not credible. Addresses the cases when a complete insight into the individual's medical conditions and/or personal history of high-risk behaviors is needed to assist the judge or jury in their decision. This information often decides the case, see article for details.

* Expert in bad faith/wrongful denial of life/health insurance claims.

* Expert in life/health insurance underwriting material misrepresentation.

* Expert in medical risk assessment and underwriting issues.

* Expert in life insurance underwriting policies and procedures.

* Expert in epidemiology. Previous cases include infectious diseases, occupational and environmental exposures, pesticides and tobacco.

* Approved life expectancy expert with the U.S. Department of Justice.

* Active consultant to the life insurance industry conducting cohort mortality studies, and writing underwriting and policy and procedure manuals.

* Over 100 articles published on mortality research and underwriting.

* Friendly, clear, concise, objective and quantitative.

* There is no charge for the initial phone consultation.

* There is no charge for travel time.

Erin O’Callaghan BS, MA, JD, CRC, NCC, LPC, CLCP, is a Life Care Planner, Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant, and Licensed Attorney with over 15 years of experience as a Rehabilitation Professional. Ms. O’Callaghan has consistently provided the highest standards of professional ethics while staying current with the needs of modern and complex litigation. Her experience and training gives a unique perspective as a forensic rehabilitation evaluator. She has an in depth understanding of the evidentiary requirements of an expert’s evaluation and conclusion, including the importance of following an accepted methodology in the process and preparation of an opinion. Ms. O’Callaghan is a member of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals, International Academy of Life Care Planners, Michigan Rehabilitation Association, and the Michigan Bar Association. She is also a qualified Vocational Expert by the Social Security Administration. Erin O’Callaghan has been providing Litigation Support to counsel for Plaintiff and Defense for 15 years. She has provided over 1,000 cost projections and has testified in both Federal and State cases. Ms. O’Callaghan has specialized knowledge of the Affordable Care Act, Social Security issues and Medicare Set Asides. Her services include case management, earning capacity evaluations, life care planning and lien disputes. Litigation Support Services for:

• Tortious Injury / Negligence
• Medical Malpractice
• Worker's Compensation
• Auto No Fault
• Wrongful Death
• Long Term Disability
• Divorce
• Lien dispute
• Special Education

View Erin O’Callaghan's Consulting Profile.

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

Dr. Christopher A. Lowery, DHSc, CLCP is a Clinical Health & Rehabilitation Consultant with a special interest in helping individuals and organizations with public health impairment issues.

Since 2002, Dr. Lowery passion is to educate, empower and provide hope to individuals that deal with catastrosphic health impairments by educating them on how to live a better quality of life due to poor health care conditions, which will address social, cultural and behavioral barriers across all diverse populations.

He currently hold the following degrees at University of North Texas, Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Studies (07); University of Oklahoma, Master of Arts in Human and Health Administration Services (10); Capital University Law School, Post-Speciality Certificate in Life Care Planning (12); University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Post-Master's Certificate in Rehabilitation Counseling (14); and Nova Southeastern University, Doctor of Health Science in Global Health (16).  

Due to the broad knowledge of education, he practice as an expert on the following topics: expert testimony, litigation support, vocational evaluations, employment support/job placement, earnings capacity evaluations, rehabilitation consulting, medical life care planning, formulate reviews/opinions on independent medical examinations, disability case management, and a wide range of public health, medical, psychological and psychosocial aspect of disabilities. 

**If you have a case that needs Dr. Lowery's expertise, please feel free to give his office a call for a free consultation.

Note: Please see below or website for more expertise areas. Areas of Expertise:

Vocational Evaluations Employment Support/Job Placement Life Care Planning Personal Injury Medical Malpractice / Medical Negligence Counseling Independent Medical Examiniation Review

Family Law / Domestic Relations Worker’s Compensation Veteran’s Benefits Labor and Employment Discrimination Jones Act / Longshoreman Cases Matrimonial / Divorce Matters Health & Rehabilitation Education Expert Testimony on a variety of health related topics

View Christopher Lowery's Consulting Profile.

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/clients as a Registered Nurse, in addition to 20+ years of experience as a California Attorney, and is retained by both Plaintiff and Defense as a consultant in Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice and Workers' Compensation cases.

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

Services Include:

• Legal Nurse Consulting
• Medical Record Review / Summary
• Case Merit Evaluation/Standards of Care
• Life Care Planning
• Mini / Preliminary Life Plans
• Medicare Set-Aside Allocations
• Expert Fact and Opinion Testimony
• Attendance at Independent Medical Exams
• Litigation Support - Formulation of Discovery Plans, Preparation of Deposition/Cross Examination Questions, Conducting Medical Expert/Opposing Life Care Planner Depositions

Ms. Meinhard also holds certification from the Pepperdine University School of Law Straus Institute for Alternative Dispute Resolution and is available as a Mediator for personal injury cases of all types - especially when competing Life Care Plans are at issue.

View Consulting Profile.

Matthew E. Sprong, Ph.D., CRC, LCPC, CLCP, CADC, is the President of Oak Leaf Consulting Group, LLC, and has been providing Vocational Rehabilitation related services since 2009. He currently holds joint appointments as an Assistant Professor at Lock Haven University, and a Rehabilitation Counselor at the Department of Veteran Affairs. 

Dr. Sprong has performed hundreds of comprehensive vocational evaluations, job placement services for veterans and people with disabilities, and intensive job development activities. He has over 30 peer-reviewed journal article publications, has over 60 professional presentations, teaches graduate level rehabilitation counseling students, and is involved in state and national service endeavors. He also teaches Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling Courses at the Graduate level for future Rehabilitation Professionals.

Litigation Support: Dr. Sprong provides Forensic Rehabilitation Services utilizing his knowledge, skills, and abilities to determine the employability / placeability of persons who become injured. Specifically, he performs transferable skills analysis, labor market analysis, vocational testing, and job placement services

Dr. Sprong has over 10 years of experience testifying as a Vocational and Life Care Planning Expert in private practice. He is currently a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Certified Life Care Planner, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, and Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor.

Areas of Expertise: 

Forensic Rehabilitation Life Care Planning  Vocational / Employability Evaluations Return-to-Work Services Post-Incident Mitigation Potential Loss of Expected Earnings / Earnings Capacity Analysis Labor Market Research Vocational Testing Past / Future Impairment to Income Stream Wrongful Termination Employment Discrimination Personal Injury Medical Malpractice

Family Law / Divorce Social Security Workers’ Compensation ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act Specialty Traumatic / Acquired Brain Injury Neurological Disabilities Chronic Pain Spinal Cord Injuries Burns Amputations Pediatric Trauma and Care Vision Impairment and Blindness Mental Health Conditions

View Oak Leaf Consulting Group's Consulting Profile.

Ms. Roughan is a Rehabilitation Nurse Specialist who functions in the capacity of case manager, life care planner and expert witness. Her company, Roughan & Associates at LINC, is a nationally recognized Case Management and Medical/Legal Consulting service. It has been in existence since 1987, providing coordination of patient care; construction of Life Care Plans; and, consultative services to both the defense and plaintiff bar on simple and complex cases alike. Ms. Roughan has experience with diagnoses involving both children and adults and are knowledgeable in current treatment philosophies, identification of appropriate resources.

Diagnoses include, but are not limited to:

• Neurological Injuries (Brain and Spinal Cord Injury)
• Burns
• Orthopedic Injures
• Amputation
• Chronic Pain
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Services Include:

• Expert Testimony
• Life Care Planning
• Mini/Preliminary Life Care Plan
• Video Services
• Medical Record Review
• RN Independent Medical Exam
• Medicare Set Aside Trust Analysis
• Medical Bill Auditing
• Questions: Deposition Cross Examining

Mr. John F. Schulte, is an accomplished Orthotic and Prosthetic practitioner with 40 plus years of experience consulting and treating Body and External powered upper and lower extremity prosthetics for all age groups.

Mr. Schulte has vast knowledge and experience in clinical practice prosthetic and orthotic component development, design, and manufacturing. A Clinician, Patient Care Consultant, and Senior Manager of 27 offices throughout 5 states, he is considered an expert in his field. Mr. Schulte continues to be asked to consult on Clinical ‘Best Practices’ by physicians, third party payors, peers, and patient users on the most appropriate component utilization and outcome measurements.

A published author, consultant, and Clinical Board Examiner, Mr. Schulte has treated and been involved with the treatment of persons of all ages with congenital birth defects, limb weakness and loss, and spinal cord injury.

Litigation Support - John Schulte's intimate knowledge in prosthetic and orthotic clinical practice and management, component prescription recommendation, and selection and utilization for all patient ages and levels of function make him an excellent expert witness resource. His services are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and include medical record review, second opinions, written reports, depositions, and trial testimony.

Areas of Expertise:

• Appropriate Prosthetic / Orthotic Component Selection Recommendation
• Utilization and Failures Due to Improper Manufacturing Processes
• Prescription Appropriateness
• Clinical Applications and Negligence Directly Related to Limb Weakness and Loss
• Spinal Cord Injury and Treatment
• Wrongful Death Investigation and Determination
• Limb Damage and Loss in Diabetics as Related to Footwear
• LifeCare Plan Consultation and Preparation as Related to Orthotics and Prosthetics

Education:

• New York University Medical School Orthotics and Prosthetics Certificate Program, Certification as Certified Prosthetist, 1973
• Northwestern University Medical School Orthotics and Prosthetics Certificate Program, Certification as Certified Orthotist, 1973

François Sestier, MD, PhD, FRCPC, FACC, DBIM, CIME, is a Cardiologist and Life Expectancy Calculation expert. He has over 40 years of experience in the field of medicine, 29 years as an Adult Cardiologist in the cath lab and 30 years as an Insurance Medical Officer.

Education - Dr. Sestier graduated from medical school in Nancy, France, 1967, where he obtained certification in Cardiology, Pneumology, Occupational Medicine, and Aeronautical Medicine. In Canada, since 1973, he obtained a Quebec certification in cardiology (CSPQ), and a fellowship in cardiology of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (FRCPc). Dr. Sestier also obtained a PhD in Experimental Medicine (McGill, 1977).

Experience - Dr. Sestier has been a staff cardiologist at CHUM, Montreal, medical director of Quebec Blue Cross since 1985 and medical director of PartnerRe since 20219. He received certifications from the American Board of Insurance Medicine (1995) and the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners (2011). As a medical officer for various insurance companies, he has reviewed thousands of applications for life Insurance, giving advice on the Mortality and Life Expectancy associated with the applicant's medical conditions.

Dr. Sestier - Life Expectancy Calculation

Litigation Support - Dr. Sestier's medico-legal advice is available to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defense. He has performed life expectancy calculations for litigation purposes on topics as diverse as traumatology, traumatic brain injury, cognitive impairment, spinal cord injury, morbid obesity, diabetes, many different cardio-vascular pathologies, sudden death, stroke, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, sleep apnea, liver cirrhosis, hepatitis B and C, and all kinds of cancers. He follows the actuarial methodology proposed by the American Academy of Insurance Medicine for his LE calculations. 

Areas of Litigation Expertise:

Disability Assessment Permanent Disability Eligibility Medical Liability Insurance Médicine Life Insurance

Health Insurance Travel Insurance Critical Illness Insurance Life Expectancy Calculations Work-Life Expectancy calculation

Book chapter: Vachon P and Sestier F: Life expectancy calculation. In Life Care Planning, PMR clinics of North America, M. Lacerte and C. Johnson, ed., Elsevier publ. New York, August 2013, pp 539-551.

Recent publication: https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/opinion/ethical-issues-are-too-often-ignored-by-medical-experts/275898

View Dr. Sestier's Consulting Profile.

Ann L. Adair, PhD, specializes in Economics and has been an undergraduate and graduate professor for more than 25 years teaching micro and macroeconomics, finance, international trade, money and banking, financial markets, health care economics, and agricultural economics. She is well-versed in economic theory and the practical application of such.

Education / Training - Dr. Adair earned a BS in Agricultural Economics, an MS in Applied Economics, and a PhD in Agricultural Economics with fields in Finance and Policy. She has provided economic modeling and analysis for the USDA, Bureau of Land Management, Montana Petroleum Association, and the Montana Association of Home Builders. Her thorough understanding of economics and finance allows her to evaluate a wide variety of businesses and industries.

 Dr. Adair served as an Assistant Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and as a Research Economist at the Montana Center for Applied Economic Research. Both of these positions provided results widely to the general public and others in the field.

Litigation Support - Dr. Adair has served as a Forensic Economic Expert for over 18 years and as a research analyst for a similar time period. She has been qualified as an expert in state and federal court in Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota. She has evaluated more than 300 cases working for both defense and plaintiff, and has provided testimony to Governor's Task Forces on the economic impact of policy modifications and the importance of various industries with Montana.

Areas of Expertise:

Wrongful Death Medical Malpractice Wrongful Termination FELA Personal Injury Present Value of Life Care Plans

Economic Losses Projections of Future Earnings Interest Rates Employment Macro / Microeconomic Policies Supply / Demand in Individual Markets