Expert Medical Services LLC
Future Medical Care Review & Analysis
Evidence-based projection of future medical treatment and associated costs for chronic pain conditions. Structured for use in personal injury damages calculations, settlement negotiations, and trial.
Request AvailabilityCredentials & Qualifications
- Service
- Future Medical Care Review & Analysis
- Specialty
- Pain Management & Anesthesiology
- Methodology
- Evidence-Based, Published Cost Data
- Report Format
- Written Projection with Supporting Rationale
- Available For
- Plaintiff & Defense
- Conditions
- Chronic Pain, CRPS, Spinal, SCS
What Is a Future Medical Care Review?
A future medical care review is a physician's written analysis of the medical treatment a claimant will require for a documented injury or condition, along with the projected costs of that treatment over the applicable time period. In personal injury and workers' compensation litigation, future medical care is a recoverable item of damages — but the claimed amount must be supported by competent medical evidence, not speculation.
A pain management physician is qualified to project future care for chronic pain conditions because the specialty encompasses both the diagnosis of these conditions and the ongoing management of their treatment. Dr. Dardashti's future care reviews are grounded in published clinical guidelines, current procedure cost data, and his direct experience managing complex chronic pain over time.
Evidence-Based Methodology
Future medical care projections in pain management are not speculative if properly grounded. The methodology Dr. Dardashti applies includes:
- Diagnosis confirmation: Verifying that the diagnosis is documented, consistent with clinical findings, and supported by the record.
- Treatment protocol review: Identifying the evidence-based standard of care for the condition, including which treatments are indicated and at what frequency.
- Established care baseline: Assessing what treatment has already been established and what additional care is projected based on the clinical trajectory.
- Cost data: Applying published regional and national cost benchmarks for procedures, medications, devices, and clinical services.
- Duration and frequency: Projecting the period over which care will be required, with specific rationale for each projected item.
Conditions Evaluated for Future Care Projections
Dr. Dardashti provides future care reviews for the full spectrum of pain conditions encountered in litigation:
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) — one of the costliest chronic pain conditions to manage long-term, requiring individualized analysis
- Chronic spinal pain — cervical and lumbar, with or without surgical history
- Neuropathic pain following injury, surgery, or CRPS
- Spinal cord stimulation — device trial, implant, and long-term maintenance costs
- Long-term opioid and non-opioid medication management
- Interventional pain procedures — injections, nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation
- Psychological support for chronic pain conditions
Life Care Planning vs. Future Medical Care Projections
Attorneys should understand the distinction between a life care plan and a future medical care projection:
- A life care plan is typically a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary document prepared by a certified life care planner that addresses all future needs — medical, rehabilitation, equipment, and sometimes vocational — in catastrophic injury cases.
- A future medical care projection prepared by a treating or consulting physician is a narrower, medically-focused opinion on the specific treatment required for a diagnosed condition, not a comprehensive life planning document.
Both types of evidence are used in litigation; they serve different but complementary evidentiary functions. Dr. Dardashti's future care reviews are physician-level medical opinions that can complement or rebut a life care plan prepared by a life care planner.
How to Request a Future Medical Care Review
Contact Expert Medical Services LLC with the case records, the diagnosed conditions to be addressed, and the specific questions to be answered. A causation analysis may be needed prior to or concurrent with a future care review to establish the causal basis for the projected treatment. For matters also requiring deposition or trial testimony, the future care opinion can be integrated into a broader expert witness engagement.
FAQ
Future Medical Care — Common Attorney Questions
- A future medical care review is a physician's analysis of the medical treatment a claimant will require as a result of a documented injury or condition, and the associated costs over the relevant time period. In personal injury and workers' compensation cases, future medical care is a component of damages. A pain management physician is qualified to project future care for chronic pain conditions, interventional procedures, and long-term medication management.
- Future medical cost projections are based on the documented diagnosis, the evidence-based treatment protocols for that condition, the claimant's age and expected remaining years of treatment, and published cost data for the applicable geographic market. For pain management, this may include medication costs, office visits, interventional procedures (injections, nerve blocks), psychological support, physical therapy, and durable medical equipment. Where a device such as a spinal cord stimulator is indicated, device costs, implantation, and ongoing follow-up are addressed separately.
- A life care plan is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary document addressing all future needs — medical, functional, and sometimes vocational — typically prepared by a certified life care planner in catastrophic injury cases. A future medical care projection is a physician's opinion on the medical treatment specifically required for a diagnosed condition, often narrower in scope and produced by the treating or consulting physician. In litigation, both may be used; they serve different but complementary evidentiary functions.
- Yes. When a major intervention such as spinal cord stimulation, intrathecal drug delivery, or repeat surgery is anticipated, the future medical care review addresses whether the intervention is medically indicated given the diagnosis and prior treatment history, what the expected costs are for the trial period and permanent implant, and what ongoing costs — device maintenance, battery replacement, follow-up — are attributable to the condition over the relevant timeframe.
- Yes. Defense attorneys frequently retain a pain management physician to evaluate whether the claimant's proposed future care is medically necessary, appropriately scoped, and accurately priced. A defense-side future care review may identify treatment that exceeds what the evidence supports, procedures that are not indicated for the documented condition, or cost estimates that exceed published market rates. Dr. Dardashti provides these opinions for defense as well as plaintiff counsel.
- A complete set of medical records is required, including treating physician notes, procedure records, diagnostic imaging, pharmacy records, and any prior future care plans or life care plans that have been produced in the case. Current treatment information is important for assessing what care has been established and what additional treatment is projected. An IME examination may also be useful to assess current clinical status before projecting future needs.
Request a Future Medical Care Analysis
Available for plaintiff and defense. Contact Expert Medical Services LLC with case records and specific conditions to be addressed.