Laura Burchell-Henson - Medical and nursing expert witness

About Laura Burchell-Henson

Laura Burchell-Henson is a legal nursing consultant who interprets medical records, documentation and medical-legal issues and utilizes nursing background and knowledge of healthcare standards to identify the standards of care for a case. As a legal nurse consultant she possesses a network of medical and professional resources and contacts and has a thorough understanding of medical issues and trends related to the total litigation process in a medical case.

Services

Laura Burchell-Henson, as a testifying expert and consultant, can do the following:

- Screen medical malpractice cases for merit - Define the applicable Standards of Care - Define deviations from and adherence to the applicable Standards of Care - Assess the damages/injuries (pathophysiology, extent of injury, and prognosis, etc.) - Identify factors that caused or contributed to the alleged damages/injury (pre-existing conditions, life-style, work habits, etc.) - Summarize medical records (facts, diagnostic studies, procedures, etc.) - Organize, tab and paginate medical records - Identify and recommend potential defendants - Conduct literature search and integrate the literature and standards/guidelines into the case analysis - Research and analyze validity of research studies and other publications by experts - Identify and review medical records, hospital policies and procedures, and other essential documents (e.g. billing records) - Expand attorney's medical library - Interview clients, key witnesses and experts - Identify and locate experts needed - Prepare interrogatories - Review and draft responses to various legal documents and correspondence - Assist in exhibit preparation; - Prepare deposition questions - Review, analyze and summarize depositions - Help prepare witnesses and experts for deposition and trial - Develop written reports for use as study tools by the attorney - Develop life care plans

Litigation Support Services

Laura Burchell-Henson is a Legal Nurse Consultant and expert witness. She has consulted on multiple cases involving elder abuse, IV infiltrations, injuries resulting from falls and bedsores (decubitus ulcers), narcotic over usage by nursing personnel specifically using Dilaudid, Fentanyl, Duragesic Patch, Morphine, Demerol, and Ativan and sleeping aids.

Areas of Expertise

Anaphylactic Shock
Anatomy
Angina Pectoris
Asthma
Bedsores
Cardiovascular
Cellulitis
Change In Patient Condition
Critical Care
Discharge Planning
Drugs and Narcotics
Elder Abuse
Fall Prevention

Head Injury
Hospital Medicine
Hospital Records
Hospitals
Legal Nurse Consultant
Life Care Planning
Long Term Care
Medical
Medical Malpractice
Medical Records
Medical Review
Medical-Legal Issues
Narcotic Overdose

Necrotizing Fasciitis
Nurse
Nurse Life Care Planner
Nursing
Nursing Home
Pain Management
Patient Rights
Personal Injury
Pressure Ulcer Prevention
Respiratory Diseases
Respiratory Failure
Respiratory Therapy
Standard of Care

Profile

Laura Burchell-Henson is the president and owner of Medi-Legal Consultants, Inc. Laura recognized that there was a need for a comprehensive service that would offer the medical expertise needed for assessment, review, analysis and research of medical related cases. Laura has almost two decades of professional experience in the medical field. This experience includes, but not limited to Critical Care, Emergency Room, Respiratory Therapy and Discharge Planning. As a legal nurse consultant Laura is able to educate attorney's on the medical aspects of their cases and render her professional opinion, while maintaining an objective viewpoint. Laura is also the liaison between the legal and medical communities.

Medi-Legal Consultants, Inc. has served a variety of attorneys in California, both defense and plaintiff. A Legal Nurse Consultant is a collaborator and strategist offering the attorney informed professional opinions on the delivery of healthcare and its resulting outcomes. In addition to reviewing legal cases for merit, summarizing medical records and retaining medical experts, Laura collaborates with attorneys and others involved in the legal process, to evaluate and analyze all aspects of medical-legal matters. Laura has been retained in more than 550 medical legal cases and has testified in trial/deposition/arbitration/mediation/hearings more than 140 times.

Laura has been a Registered Nurse since 1990 and a Licensed Respiratory Therapist since 1983. In 1998, after 9 years of experience with risk management and reviewing medical records, Laura took an extensive training course in Legal Nurse Consulting and is now certified as a Legal Nurse Consultant. Laura has taught a variety of critical care and respiratory therapy classes and has received special training to teach Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Most recently Laura has lectured to both physicians and nurses on "Legal Issues in Critical Care". Laura is an active member of the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants, American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. In addition, Laura has served on the Board of Supervisors Advisory Board for Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

Ms. Burchell-Henson is currently licensed in California as a RN and Respiratory Therapist. Her nursing experience includes Critical Care, Intensive Care, Emergency Room, Interventional Radiology, Nursing Supervisor, Med-Surgical, Recovery Room (PACU), Obstetrics, Post-Partum, Telemetry, DOU, Stepdown Unit, Nursing Homes, Home Care and Rehabilitation.