How Physician Life Care Planning Helps You Plan For The Future

Some injuries and chronic conditions may require lifelong care, which is why it’s necessary to have a data-backed plan that outlines the costs of rehabilitative and medical treatment for the remainder of the patient’s life. 

Enter physician life care planning. This service provides families and victims with peace of mind that their future cares are accounted for, but also serves as a powerful tool in litigation. 

In Which Situations Is A Life Care Plan Necessary?

If an injury or condition related to the injury results in litigation, your attorney can retain a life care planner - an individual qualified to quantify the costs of necessary future care.

That isn’t to say physician life care planning is only used in litigation. It can also be used to project your future expenses and identify any collateral resources that have the potential to offset your medical expenses. 

In other words, a life care plan will provide you with all the information needed to develop an accurate financial plan for the rest of your life.

Who Are Life Care Planners?

Life care planners come from a variety of backgrounds. For instance, they may have experience with rehabilitation but also come from a nursing background. 

However, depending on the circumstances, you may require the services of a life care professional with experience in the medical field relevant to your condition or your injury. Let’s say you suffered a low back injury - it’s best to seek out an expert who also has a background in orthopedics.

This is vital in legal situations as your life care planner can testify in court on your behalf. That way, you have a key witness who can not only provide the court with information on your future care but also on the services described in the life care plan.

What we suggest is to think about your needs before retaining a life care planner and seek only the professionals who have experience in the field related to your condition.

The Process Of Physician Life Care Planning

Putting together a life care plan typically begins with an interview that takes place in your home. This may take hours as the life care planner will use the time to collect the necessary information and learn as much about you and your family as possible. 

Here’s how it works:

1. Data collection

As we already mentioned, most information collected for the life care plan will be acquired during the initial interview. The life care specialist may ask you about the following:

• Names, specialties, and contact information of the treating medical professionals
• Timeline of visits to the said medical professionals, along with any future visits you may have scheduled
• Information on whether any of the physicians also treated you before the injury
• Prescription medications you currently take and where you purchase your medications
• Existence of prior health conditions for which you were prescribed medication or received treatment 
• Any recommendations for future interventions suggested by your treating physicians
• Therapeutic interventions you’re taking part in, such as speech or physical therapy, and the names and contact information of the associated therapists
• Use of any medical equipment after the condition, such as home care equipment or orthotics, and the information on companies that have provided you with the said equipment

Besides this information, the life care specialist will also inquire about personal information such as family life and marital status, as well as key facts such as your insurance coverage or educational background. 

To simplify the entire process, you can prepare the necessary documents beforehand and think about the responses to the questions outlined above. It’s also recommended to prepare any prescription bottles and business cards of the physicians and other individuals involved in your treatment in order to expedite the interview.

2. Personal account collection

The next stage of the interview will most likely involve your personal life and the changes you experienced since you were injured or developed a debilitating condition. 

For instance, you may be asked to describe the physical manifestations of your ailment such as pain, discomfort, and ability to perform daily activities. The life care planner might also ask if you’re now dependent on the assistance of others and if so, to which extent. 

Along with the physical impacts of the injury, physician life care planning often accounts for the patient’s emotional experiences. You’ll get the opportunity to describe the emotional effects of the event in question, as well as its impact on your ability to partake in hobbies you used to enjoy. Additionally, you may provide information about your financial situation and the impacts of your ailment on your vocational abilities. 

It’s customary for this part of the interview to go quite deep. Many participants describe it as an emotional experience, yet it’s necessary to accurately document the full scope of your needs.

The life care planner can also interview your loved ones to collect more info, but it’s not uncommon for them to accompany you to appointments with your treating physicians. 

If needed, a life care professional can suggest additional medical specialists who may help in evaluating your needs more accurately. 

3. Vocational evaluation

Vocational evaluation is a major component of a life care plan, so, if your life care planner isn’t specialized in vocational matters, they may connect you with a vocational expert.

The process of vocational evaluation will start with inquiries about your past work history, duties you performed in your old jobs, and your educational background. Furthermore, the expert may provide you with vocational tests so they can assess your vocational, educational, and intellectual aptitudes. 

The results of these tests will provide a baseline of your abilities and determine if there is potential for retraining to increase your chances of returning to the workforce. 

Plan For The Future

With physician life care planning, you’re given a dynamic and exhaustive case management tool to accurately project the costs of future care. Most importantly, it’s a powerful instrument in litigation as it ensures that all of your needs following a debilitating injury are accounted for, down to a single penny.

At the same time, it also provides you and your family with hope and peace of mind that everything you need will be available to you, making certain that your quality of life is as high as it can be given the circumstances.

If you require physician life care planning and vocational assessment services,  you should only work with the best this country can offer. Here at OAS, we take pride in what we do and are highly motivated to help our clients achieve independence and financial stability despite their limitations. 

We’ve helped numerous clients overcome their challenges and go on to lead happy and fulfilled lives - we’re 100% certain we can offer a helping hand to you too.

Fill out our contact form to book your first appointment.