Skilled Nursing Facilities / Long Term Care Expert Witnesses: 17

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.

Timothy P. Luckett, BS, RN, CNOR, CRNFA, CIC, LNC a Legal Nurse Consultant (LNC) gives expert opinions and testimony in all types of medical malpractice cases for both Plaintiff and Defense. Mr. Luckett is a Registered Nurse Expert in Surgery, ICU, Nursing Home Neglect, Outpatient Surgery Center Matters, and Hospital Surgical Matters.

Mr. Luckett has served as a circulating nurse, RR nurse, and as a registry nurse in General Surgery, Orthopedics, Neurosurgery, Gynecology, Vascular and Urology Surgeries. He has given numerous laser safety lectures and is a clinical assistant for the University of California at Los Angeles, Registered Nurse First Assist (RNFA) program. Mr. Luckett has also served as a case consultant and reviews nurse malpractice cases for the California Board of Registered Nursing.

Elliott M. Stein, MD is a Geriatric Psychiatrist with over 40 years of experience caring for the elderly. Dr. Stein is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in General Psychiatry (October, 1979), and in Geriatric Psychiatry (April, 1991; Re-Certified, December, 2001, and in April, 2011). He is licensed to practice in California and Florida. Dr. Stein was the Director of Psychiatry at the Jewish Home of San Francisco from 2010-2020, and the Medical Director of their Geriatric Psychiatry Hospital. He has treated older individuals, typically people who have complex combination of psychiatric and medical problems. Dr. Stein has been a Member of the Task Force on Testamentary Capacity and Undue Influence, for the International PsychoGeriatric Association.

Dr. Stein is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. He is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.

He is available to serve as an Expert Witness, do legal and forensic consultation, record review, and assessments concerning Psychiatric issues in older individuals. Dr. Stein offers his services to attorneys for both Plaintiff or Defense.

Areas of Expertise:

• Contested Wills and Trusts
• Testamentary Capacity, Undue Influence, Insane Delusions
• Geriatric Competence
• Dementia and Delirium, Alzheimer’s Disease
• Geriatric Psychiatry Evaluation and Treatment, Psychiatric Medication, Psychotherapeutic Issues
• Depression and Anxiety Disorders
• Relationship Problems between the Elderly and their Adult Children
• Aging and Mental Disorders
• Geriatric Psychiatry issues concerning Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Independent and Assisted Living Facilities
• Medicare Psychiatric Services Coding and Documentation

View Dr. Stein's Consulting Profile.

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.

Neal C. Buddensiek, MD, CMD, has over 14 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:

Skilled Nursing Facility Regulations Assisted Living Regulations Resident Care Planning Hospice Eligibility Geriatrics

Medical Malpractice Wrongful Death Falls Pressure Injury / Wound Care Covid-19

Georgia J. Persky RN, MBA, PhD, CLNC, CNOR is a Columbia University trained nurse researcher with over 40 years of broad Clinical Nursing experience and 25 years of senior leadership in Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Home Health organizations. She also has 20 years of Surgical Nursing and Operating Room experience. Dr. Persky has expertise in the micro issues in nursing for adult patient care and the broad management, quality, and regulatory issues in hospitals. 

Background Experience - Dr. Persky served as Vice-President of Nursing and Patient Care Services for the past 25 years and most recently at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. For nine years, she was responsible for Patient Care Services, Risk and Quality Management and Patient Satisfaction for a 750-bed academic hospital. She directed a $200 million budget with 33 patient care units and Care Management, Respiratory Therapy, Social Work and Admitting Departments with 9 direct reports and 2,000 patient care employees.

Litigation Support - As a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant and Quality Reviewer, Dr. Persky has investigated hundreds of Malpractice and Injury cases as a quality reviewer and can assist in legal case review with chronologies, timelines, and evidence-based reports. She has testifying experience in malpractice and personal injury cases, as well as, with human resource and employee discrimination with an ability to attest to standards of care in clinical litigation. Dr. Persky's services are available to attorneys for the plaintiff and defense seeking an expert in nursing and patient care with a strong understanding of how heath care organizations work.

Areas of Expertise:

Nursing/Hospital Standards of Care Nursing Home and Skilled Nursing Surgical and Perioperative Nursing Quality and Risk Management Fall and Pressure Ulcer Prevention

Hospital Policy and Procedure Medication Safety Medical Device Safety Hospital Administration State, Federal, Joint Commission Regulatory Compliance

View Dr. Persky's Consulting Profile.

Grace T. Mondina, DNP, MSN, RN, PHN, has 14 years of experience as a Nurse in Skilled Nursing Facility / Long-Term Care and 6 years as a Case Manager and Post-Acute Care Management. 

Ms. Mondina has served as an Expert Practice Consultant for the California Board of Registered Nursing. She is currently an Expert Witness for the Department of Justice, where she reviews investigative case materials and prepares written opinions and assists investigators, prosecutors, and administrative law judges in understanding the nursing aspects of a case.

 Ms. Mondina also serves as a mentor for the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) students from the University of San Francisco.

Litigation Support: Ms. Mondina is available to review medical records, medical facts, and other medical situations for standard of care. She is licensed in California, Arizona, and Colorado.

Areas of Expertise:

Nursing Standard of Care Long Term Care (LTC) Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) Nursing Homes Geriatrics Title 22

Post Acute Care Nursing Case Management Pressure Ulcers / Bed Sores / Wounds Falls Restraints Medication Errors

Kenneth C. McCawley RN, BSN, VWCN, CICP, has been a Nurse since 1992, and is a Combat Decorated Military Veteran who was active and served as a “doc” in the field. He is now a retired Major.  

Mr. McCawley started the open heart program at CMC hospital in Scranton PA, has worked in trauma and ICU, and has 23 years of experience as a successful Director of Nursing, writing policies and ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations,. He also served as Senior Clinical Specialist for a national healthcare company.  

Mr. McCawley is currently the director of nursing for a 120-bed rehab facility in Pennsylvania. He has extensive experience in working in skilled nursing facilities where he deals with pressure ulcers, wound care, and nursing home falls. He has reviewed cases for attorneys on Nursing Home Negligence and has been deposed and/or testified numerous times.

Areas of Expertise:  

Pressure Ulcer /Pressure Ulcer Prevention Arterial Ulcer Diabetic Ulcer Wound Care Bedsores

Pressure Sores Nursing Homes Nursing Home Falls Nursing Home Fall Prevention Certified Infection Control Preventionist through CMS

Education: Diploma Prepared Registered Nurse (RN), Community Medical Center School of Nursing, Scranton PA; Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN), Penn State University; Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN), National Certification; Wound Care Certified, VOHRA National Certification

View Tracy Liberatore's Attorney / Physician Assistant Consulting Profile.

Vipul Kella, MD, MBA FACEP is a board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician who has been practicing for 15 years. Dr. Kella is a Fellow, of the American College of Emergency Physician, and is licensed in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS).

Prior to his current position as a Physician and Partner in a multispecialty national acute care services company, Dr. Kella was Chief of a regional health system managing 100,000 patient visits in Frederick, Maryland. His responsibilities included developing quality initiatives, improving operations and efficiencies, patient experience, staffing, and recruiting.

Dr. Kella has delivered seminars and given presentations on healthcare administration, fraud and abuse, critical care, myocardial infarction, trauma, aortic dissection, sepsis and shock, and medical ethics

Litigation Support: Dr. Kella has served as a medical expert for 10 years. He has reviewed over 100 cases, and spent over 1,000 hours on case reviews and preparing reports.  He is dedicated to providing expertise to clients in a variety of areas, including medical malpractice, personal injury, forensics, disability, and others. 

Over the past ten years, Dr. Kella has been retained in the following areas: 

Emergency Medicine Critical Care Medical Negligence Forensics and Sexual Abuse Standard of Care

Nursing Home Liability Wrongful Death Independent Medical Examination Medical Device Liability Medical Fraud and Abuse

Areas of Expertise:

Critical Care Medicine                                                                      Emergency Medical Services Health Care Economics HIPAA Hospital & Medical Ethics Hospital Administration Medical Devices Medical Fraud

Medical Records Nursing Homes Wrongful Death Myocardial Infarction Trauma Aortic Dissection Sepsis Shock

View Dr. Vipul Kella's 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:

Falls Nursing Home Negligence Dementia Functional Decline Person-Centered Care Nursing Home Standard of Care Goals of Care Long Term Care Continuing Care Retirement Communities

Resident Rights Independent Living Transfers Restraints Safety Anti-psychotics Home Health Exercise Pain

View Dr. Cathy Ciolek's Consulting Profile.

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

James Kemmler MD Consulting is a Medical-Legal Consulting firm based on years of Medical and Orthopaedic clinical experience and years of medical legal consulting experience. Medical legal consulting and expert witness testimony is focused to help save legal time and money, as well as formulate a cogent and concise medical opinion that will help put your money and time in the right place. The experts at James Kemmler Consulting MD are Honest, Ethical, and Neutral.

Areas of Expertise:

Orthopaedic Surgery OB / GYN General Medicine General Surgery Neurosurgery Anesthesia ICU

Infectious Diseases in Children Skilled Nursing Facilities Long Term Care Life Care Planning Psychiatric Nursing Medical Cost Analysis

James E. Kemmler, MD, is an Orthopaedic Surgeon in practice since 1995. Dr. Kemmler has expanded his offerings to include a global medical legal consulting process. He has years of experience with IMEs, Depositions, Worker's Compensation Reviews, and Medical Standard of Care.

Education / Degrees: MD, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL James Scholar; Residency: Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL; Fellow: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 

Memberships / Affiliations: American Medical Association; American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; American College of Sports Medicine

William R. Thompson, PT, DPT, PhD, has been practicing as a Physical Therapist since 2007. Dr. Thompson has worked in both outpatient orthopedic and inpatient physical therapy settings, including major medical institutions such as University of North Carolina Hospitals and Indiana University Health Hospitals, as well as rural hospital systems. He has worked extensively with geriatric populations and with individuals with neurological, orthopedic, and trauma related conditions.

In addition to his clinical expertise as a physical therapist, Dr. Thompson holds a PhD in biomechanics and movement science where his technical expertise is in molecular biology and genetics with an emphasis on bone health and fracture healing. His research examines the mechanisms by which bone adapts to exercise and mechanical forces, which have important clinical implications for overall bone health and fractures. Dr. Thompson's work investigates the molecular mechanisms that control bone anabolism including the function of mesenchymal stem cells, osteocytes, and other bone cells. Several of these studies focus on drugs that influence skeletal health. Current work is examining how the common anti-epileptic and neuropathic pain drugs Gabapentin (Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica) influence bone health.

Dr. Thompson has published nearly 40 peer-reviewed manuscripts and several book chapters. Additionally, he has received numerous national and international awards recognizing his contributions to the field of physical therapy and bone biology. In his roles as a physical therapy clinician, research scientist, and professor, Dr. Thompson frequently gives lectures, presentations, and generates reports/manuscripts.

Litigation Support - Dr. Thompson provides expert witness services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. His cases involve Physical Therapy-related Incidents, at times in Nursing Home settings. Dr. Thompson's services include medical case review, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony.

Areas of Expertise:

Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Geriatrics Bone Health Fractures Falls Orthopedics Gabapentin

Lyrica Neurontin Biochemistry Molecular Biology Skeletal Health Acute Care Trauma Orthopedic Trauma

David Friedler, MS, MPH, CNHA, LMHC, Is an expert in wrongful injury, abuse and neglect in health care. His experience is in the regulatory standard of care in Nursing Facilities, Psychiatric and Substance Use Rehabilitation as well as Adult Foster Care. He holds MPH and MS degrees and has worked clinical and administrative roles for four decades. He has extensive experience with survey compliance, Federal and State regulation, JCAHO and CARF accreditation, OSHA compliance and policy and procedure adherence. Areas of Expertise:

• Long Term Care
• Nursing Homes
• Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation
• Behavioral Health / Psychiatric Care in Drug Treatment Facilities
• Psychiatric care in Nursing Homes, Group Homes

Yolanda Anderson, RN, BSN, CEN, CLNC is a Registered Nurse and has been working in the Emergency Department for more than 25 years. A Certified Legal Nurse Consultant with a detail-oriented approach, Ms. Anderson is knowledgeable about all aspects of Hospital Care and Standards of Care for Physicians, Nurses and Ancillary Personnel.

Ms. Anderson's background experience includes work in the Emergency Department of Los Angeles County, USC Medical Center, a level I Trauma Center and 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 worked 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.

Ms. Anderson has been retained as an Expert 27 times. Her litigation support services include chart review for merit, chronologies, medical care research, Independent Medical Assessments, and more. Ms. Anderson's services are available to attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defense.

Areas of Expertise:

Emergency Department Care Inpatient Hospital Care Trauma, Cardiac, Neurological Emergency Adult, Pediatric, and Infant Care

Triage & Documentation Nursing Home Care Electronic Medical Records Worker's Compensation

View Yolanda Anderson's Consulting Profile.