PA203 Interviewing and Investigation

Unit 3 Assignment: Draft Interview Questions
In January, 2002, Bill and Hillary were driving on a country road in Chappaqua, New York, when they were struck head-on by a snowplow. At the time of the accident, visibility was low and both the snowplow and the SUV that Bill was driving were traveling at low speeds. As a result of the accident, Bill suffered a fractured vertebra, a broken arm, and multiple tears along his back and shoulders. He also received cuts and bruises on his face. Bill has accumulated many medical expenses since the accident and now he is bringing an action against the county and state for his injuries, lost wages, and loss of consortium. Your firm has been retained to represent Bill. By the time you enter the case, Bill is back to work, and he is hard at work finishing up his memoir. He is continuing to incur medical expenses. However, some of the charges have inadvertently been charged to his HMO plan rather than being held out for payment as related to the litigation. You have been asked to calculate the medical expenses and manage the billing of the services. You contact the doctor’s office for Bill’s medical records (with his permission and HIPPA consent) and the billing statements. You also contact Bill’s HMO and ask for their records of services billed. While you await the medical records from one of Bill’s doctors, you decide to do some sleuthing regarding the “typical” costs for various services related to the medical care that Bill received as a result of his accident. You know the agreed to fees have been negotiated as a result of the litigation, but you think that some additional research can’t hurt. The medical records arrive by courier from the doctor’s office (your firm is charged $100.00 for the courier service) and you receive the fax from the HMO. You begin your analysis and comparison of