Vidisha Joshi, Managing Director, shares her views on growing Premier Medical in the current market
10th May 2022
Trusted partners will be critical to seizing new medico-legal market opportunities
Collaboration with experts, and better use of technology, offer an opportunity for legal firms to transform and thrive amid upcoming changes, writes Vidisha Joshi, Managing Director of Premier Medical
The medico-legal landscape has evolved considerably in recent years and the forthcoming clinical negligence reforms mean even more change is on the horizon. There is now no such thing as “business as usual” in this great sector. Operators must open themselves up to new ways of collaborating and working, because standing still is not an option.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the driving purpose at the heart of our work: to help injured people get the justice they deserve. As changes which will increase fixed costs dominate industry conversation, attention is turning to how best to navigate these while keeping a laser focus on creating better outcomes for patients and the doctors treating them.
Closer collaboration will be the key to continuing to improve clinical care, resolve disputes speedily and make the legal process smoother and more efficient. Combining resources with a trusted partner such as Premier Medical – a clinical-led and solutions-based agency that works closely with experts and law firms to provide medical reporting, screening, rehabilitation and diagnostic services to the personal injury and clinical negligence claims market – will offer firms of all sizes an opportunity to become more efficient and rein in costs. This, in turn, gives them the time and space to focus on the client issues and needs that really matter.
Leveraging the power of a trusted partner
Premier Medical’s differentiator is its deep knowledge and unique experience across both the medical and legal sectors. The agency was founded and led for many years by experienced clinicians Dr Harry Brunjes and Dr Bob Goodall. I recently joined as Managing Director after almost two decades as a personal injury solicitor – and at a time when the sector is facing difficulties, my experience has certainly helped us understand and support our clients better.
The proposed clinical negligence reforms, due to come into force in 2023, are concentrating minds. In January, the Department of Health announced that it was pressing ahead with fixed recoverable costs for clinical negligence cases worth up to £25,000. The consultation on its plans will close on 24 April.
Undoubtedly the clinical negligence reforms will have an impact on everyone in the market. For our clients – which range from small teams to larger specialist departments within leading personal injury firms – around 70 per cent of cases are likely to be below this figure.
So let me explain how Premier Medical is helping clients thrive in the face of this new challenge. We believe collaboration to share costs and streamline processes is the best response.
Premier Medical has already started conversations with clients about what this could mean for their business models and how we can help them integrate with our technology and systems. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, though, which is why we are working with each client individually, looking at their case-management systems and support functions, as well as the financial aspects, to explore the best way forward for each.
We are also working closely with consumer groups such as the Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO) to ensure we are fully aware of all the implications for both the injured party and our solicitor-clients. It’s not just about understanding the challenges, though – we will also be submitting our own considered response to the consultation to help guide and shape the future.
Technology speeds up processes
As part of our ongoing focus on better serving our clients, and creating our own internal efficiencies where we can, we have embraced automation and robotics.
In mid-2021, we entered the world of robotic process automation and purchased our first robot, affectionately named Ethel. Directing email traffic to the appropriate team within the business has always been a challenge because we receive so many emails. But getting emails to the right people at the right time is essential to run an efficient and effective case management model.
Ethel sorts more than a thousand emails in around four hours. That used to take an entire day and the combined effort of several staff. As a result, she has freed those people to concentrate on more complex or urgent matters, giving them more enjoyable, fulfilling roles. This triaging process also enables us to respond to urgent emails sooner.
Artificial intelligence, meanwhile, will help read some reports, speeding up case progress. And we are also looking at how natural language processing can help us better recognise user sentiment, such as urgency or frustration, in emails.
Empowering our experts to serve injured parties
Our partners benefit from our use of innovative technology, because they get better service from us. Greater integration means fewer in-person touch points are needed as information and data is shared and moves more seamlessly. This gives us more time to be proactive, getting ahead of the curve with likely case challenges, and anticipating and responding to potential issues before they even arise.
Premier Medical is determined to provide our clients with the very best, gold-standard – and bespoke – service from start to finish. My vision is to transform the organisation from being a supplier to a trusted expert partner by building a better and more efficient business internally and sharing our knowledge and expertise with others for the greater success of all.
Committing to a collaborative approach will ultimately help everyone in the medico-legal ecosystem, while ensuring that those who are injured remain at the very heart of the process. Greater knowledge-sharing across the sector will mean we can all share in the brighter and more successful future made possible when challenges are successfully transformed into opportunities.
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