LNC STAT: Legal Nurse Blog

One overlooked aspect by many in the Legal Nurse consulting industry is information security. According to the U.S. government, information security means protecting any material information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction. In the legal world, an attorney's failure to maintain proper information security can result in a lost case, fiduciary liability, and/or disbarment.

For a Legal Nurse, your consequences may involve liability, being fired by the attorney, and/or destroying your good business name. In order to prevent these consequences from happening, the Legal Nurse must safeguard any information obtained from the attorney client privilege, the work product doctrine, and follow any pertinent Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) regulations.

This topic is the first on a series on how to protect yourself and your business as a Legal Nurse. Information security is a new and emerging field, but is vital to understand in both the medical and legal realms.

Information security and the Legal Nurse is covered in depth in the new course called Case Strategies for the 21st Century. Class size will be limited. Register while you can!

Case Strategies for the 21st Century Info & Registration>>
Las Vegas, NV: June 8-12, 2009

SPECIAL: First ten to register get a two night hotel stay at no cost!

The first Case Strategies for the 21st Century Workshop got great reviews from its attendees. Now, it's your turn. The next Case Strategies for the 21st Century workshop is scheduled for June 18-19 in Las Vegas at the world famous Bellagio Hotel and Casino. Case Strategies for the 21st Century is a fantastic way to update and bolster your Legal Nurse training. Reserve your seat now while you can.

Included ONLY in the Las Vegas Workshop:

• Personalized Attorney Directory containing leads to potential clients in
  your local attorney area


• Personalized Conference List with dates of upcoming attorney conferences
  near your area


• Active Mentoring after the workshop where we check your progress on a
  regular basis and make sure you get cases.


• Coffee Breaks


• Evening Reception hosted by RN Market


• Workshop Books & Extras including the Case Strategies Textbook , Case
  Strategies Workbook, pens and highlighters.
  
   

Course Instructors:

• Veronica Castellana, RN, BSN, ALNC, CLNI, CPSS


• Ryan Sanchez, BSME


• Amanda Straka, JD


• Jeffrey Straka, JD

Attendees Will Learn 21 Tips:

• 35 steps to Market for Success


• How to Collect Attorney Names


• 5 Most Effective Forms of Marketing


• Exhibiting


• Advanced Interviewing Techniques


• Retainer Fees


• Getting Paid


• Medical Research


• Legal Research


• Finding Expert Witnesses


• Subcontracting


• Affidavits


• Legal Team Interaction


• Attorney/Client Privilege


• Work Product Doctrine


• HIPAA Regulations


• Information Security Practices


• Copyright Infringement


• Plagiarism


• A Case from Start to Finish


• Case Strategies

Note: Lodging included in special may not be in the same location or hotel as the seminar.

Case Strategies Registration >>
Case Strategies Info >>

Once a Legal Nurse has contracted with an attorney to provide medical expertise on a case, she\he may fall under the protection of the attorney-client privilege. The attorney-client privilege keeps communication private and applies to any communication made in confidence between the attorney and client for the purpose of dispensing legal advice.

The attorney-client privilege can extend to retained consultants such as Legal Nurses. As a result, Legal Nurses should have a solid understanding in the general workings of the privilege. Furthermore, not knowing what the privilege is or what it covers will be a detriment when trying to secure your important case documents. Lastly, the attorney-client privilege is a very demanding legal principle to master. There are many exceptions and sub-sections to the privilege that confuse even the most seasoned attorney. Therefore, it is strongly recommended for any Legal Nurse to discuss any questions they may have about the attorney-client privilege with their legal employer.

Detailed info about attorney-client privilege is included with Case Strategies for the 21st Century.

Case Strategies for the 21st Century >>

In today's healthcare world HIPAA is the compulsory regulation that must be adhered to when working with protected health information (PHI). According to HIPAA, PHI is any information about health status, provisions of care, or payment for health care transmitted and maintained in any medium that can be reasonably linked to an individual. Furthermore, the HIPAA regulation lists 18 different identifiers that can make up one's PHI.

There are two standards that deal with the security of PHI: 1) the Privacy Rule and 2) the Security Rule. The Privacy Rule applies to all PHI regardless if the PHI is in a paper, electronic, or voice medium. However, the Security Rules applies only to electronically stored PHI (ePHI) such as data on hard drives, flash drives, CD's, and DVD's. Each rule has a different set of standards that need to be met in order to be in compliance with the HIPAA regulations. Knowing both rules will greatly reduce your risk of any civil penalties.

Legal Nurses should pay close attention to the HIPAA regulations because they may fall under the umbrella of the regulation while acting as a Legal Nurse. The HIPAA rules require one that becomes a business associate of a covered entity (healthcare provider, etc.) to meet certain requirements. Consequently, any Legal Nurse that becomes a business associate of a covered entity or an agent of a business associate will need to have a basic understanding of the Privacy and Security Rules. Lastly, becoming a business associate or an agent of a business associate will also require that certain contractual obligations are met.

Detailed info about HIPPA is included in the LNC STAT certification course and the Privacy Rule, Security Rule, Business Associates, and Covered Entities are further discussed and analyzed in the Case Strategies for the 21st Century Workshop.

LNC STAT: Advanced Legal Nurse Consultant Certification >>
Case Strategies for the 21st Century >>