Personal-injury narrative reports that attorneys can use

What the attorney is asking for

In a personal-injury case the treating physician’s narrative report is often the first full medical account the attorney sees. It has to explain, in plain clinical language, what happened, what it did to the patient and what care was needed because of it.

The parts of a useful narrative

Incident history and mechanism — how the injury happened, in the patient’s account and as the records corroborate it.

Pre-incident baseline — prior conditions and prior treatment, so the change is visible.

Treatment to date — what was done, when, and why it was reasonable and necessary.

Current status and prognosis — where the patient is now and what future care is expected.

Causation opinion — the physician’s own opinion, with the basis for it. An expert opinion must rest on matter of a type reasonably relied upon by experts in the field (Cal. Evid. Code §801), so the basis matters as much as the conclusion.

Common weaknesses

A causation statement with no stated basis. A baseline that ignores prior records the defense will find. Treatment listed without the reason it was needed. Dates that disagree with the records.

How ChironAI™ OM helps

Chiron reads the records and drafts the narrative — incident, mechanism, pre-incident baseline, treatment to date and the physician’s causation opinion — for the physician to edit and sign. OM also keeps a running lien balance per personal-injury case and produces the lien statement.