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IARP CONNECT Code of Conduct

  • 1.  Life Care Planning/Quality of Life

    Posted 06-26-2013 12:31

    So I was speaking to an attorney yesterday regarding a Life Care Plan that I authored and was submitted to the PM & R for review. Because this physician has been getting slammed on cross exam recently on some of the things he "approves" of, he has become more conservative.

    The attorney noted that she realizes we as life care planners look to "quality of life" but in the legal arena, they have to show the jury the "medical necessity" of that need.  As an example, for a recent plan, I was asked to remove several recreational items from my plan, including things like accommodated hunting, wheelchair for outdoor activities, etc.

    Now, this is the ONLY attorney I have come acres that does not believe we should include recreational/avocational items in the LCP, because they are not "medical necessity."

    I am curious what your thoughts are and if you are running into this as well.  Are you taking these items out?  Are you finding that juries are becoming more conservative in what they want to provide and support in the LCP?

    Thanks.

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    Michele J. Albers, MS, CRC, LPC, CLCP
    Vocational Consultant/Life Care Planner

    Vocational Diagnostics, Inc.
    P.O. Box 748
    Sun Prairie, WI 53590
    (608) 846-9530 (P)
    (888) 667-9860 (F)
    michelea@vocationaldiagnostics.com
    mjalbers@charter.net
    www.vocationaldiagnostics.com
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  • 2.  RE:Life Care Planning/Quality of Life

    Posted 06-26-2013 13:56


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    Clae Willis
    clae@bellnet.ca
    Hamilton, ON Canada
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    I have always a huge variance as to lawyers like and dislike included in a report. The concept is to restore and re-integrate... if the person "hunted" pre incident and desires to hunt post incident and the devices  are warranted to facilitate this activity... then the devices are warranted...

    I would stop short of developing a distinct report format for every referring  law firm....

    Did an OT or rec therapist or like recommend ..the aid... if so omission  is clearly unethical regardless of the LLBs instructions..




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  • 3.  RE:Life Care Planning/Quality of Life

    Posted 06-26-2013 14:25
    My understanding is that the term "medical necessity" is an administrative term differentially defined by insurance carriers as a standard that they apply to determin the compensibility of a claim; otherwise, it has no operational definition that is generally accepted in any field least of all Rehabilitation Counseling or the development of a Life Care Plan. 

    My unserstanding has always been that a LCP is prepared in terms of the fundamental rehabilitation principle of the restoration of optimal independence to a person with a severe chronic alteration to his or her health condition to a standard of reasonable certainty.  To my way of thinking, application of the nebulous and ill-defined term of "medical necessity" to a LCP is a red herring that deflects attention to the fact that the individual's ability to engage in the multiple domains of life has been affected by this change in health status.

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    George Cyphers
    Rehabilitation Counselor
    george@gwcyphers.com
    Reminderville, OH United States
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    Original Message