Medical Malpractice Intake

Medical Malpractice Intake Training

Medical malpractice callers are often grieving, angry or afraid, and they usually have a long story. Intake has to listen without promising anything, gather what the attorney needs and avoid every judgment about whether care was wrong.

Start With the Call Audit or book a conversation

What is different about medical malpractice intake

Callers often tell a long, emotional story. The call needs room for it and a structure that gets to the next step.
They ask whether the doctor did something wrong. Intake cannot say, and should not hint.
Records, timing and the details of treatment matter to the attorney, so the questions are specific and the caller needs to know why they are asked.
Many firms screen these matters closely, so the firm should agree the intake criteria in writing before the desk applies them.

The method does not change. The five stages, the 14-item scorecard and the boundary are the same. What changes is the wording, the questions to ask and where the pressure shows up.

Two Calls

The same moment, answered two ways

"Was it malpractice?"

The caller says: "My father died after surgery. Do you think the doctor made a mistake?"

What most desks say

"It sounds like there may have been a problem. The attorney will review it."

A hint at fault from a non-lawyer.

What a trained desk says

"I am so sorry about your father. I cannot tell you whether anything was done wrong, and I do not want to guess. The attorney reviews the records and can tell you what she sees. Let me ask a few questions so she has what she needs. First, when did this happen?"

Compassion first, no opinion on fault and a move into the questions.

The long story

The caller says: A caller talks for ten minutes without a break.

What most desks say

Lets the caller go on, then ends with "send us the records."

No structure, no next step.

What a trained desk says

"Thank you for telling me all of that. I want to be sure I have the key points, so let me ask a few short questions. Then I will tell you how the consultation works and ask for a time."

The caller is heard, the call is steered and the ask is made.

Questions that always go to the attorney

These come up on medical malpractice calls all the time. Intake does not answer them; it hands them off with the fixed line and asks for the next step.

"Did the doctor make a mistake?"
"Do I have a case?"
"How long do I have to file?"
"Should I get my records myself?"

The hand-off wording and the full boundary are on the line between intake and the attorney. Wording on this page is an example only; the firm and the attorney set the final wording against their jurisdiction's rules. Scope, plainly: everything on this site concerns the conversation that turns an inquiry into an engagement. Nothing here is legal advice, nothing touches the legal work or the attorney's judgment, and any wording a firm adopts is reviewed by the firm against its jurisdiction's rules on attorney advertising, solicitation and fee communication before it is used.

About the Author

Dr. Jeffrey Scott Stanton, DCH is a behavioral strategist and the founder and Chief Learning Officer of R2R Diagnostic Group. He is the former EVP of Learning & Development at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, where he trained sales professionals on the conversations that turn an inquiry into a commitment. He applies the same method, the R2R Assessment and a 14-item call-review scorecard, to law firm intake teams. The work is the conversation only; legal questions and judgment stay with the attorney.

The method, the scripts and the scorecard are on how it works, the script template and the scorecard guide.

Start With the Calls

Start with the medical malpractice calls you already have.

Send a handful of recordings or transcripts and get a scored review of where consultations are being lost.

Start With the Audit or book a conversation

Frequently asked questions

What does intake training for medical malpractice firms cover?

It covers the five stages of a medical malpractice intake call: rapport, questions, value and the fee, asking for the next step and responding to concerns. Scripts are written for your firm and reviewed by the attorney before use.

Does intake give legal advice on medical malpractice calls?

No. Intake explains the process, the consultation and the fee as the firm has set them. Any question about the caller's case goes to the attorney through a fixed hand-off line.

How does the work start for a medical malpractice firm?

With the calls the firm already has. The call audit scores recordings or transcripts on a 14-item scorecard, by person, and shows which stage loses consultations.

Are prices published?

No. Prices are quoted for your firm after a conversation, based on the number of intake people and calls reviewed, and the scope is agreed in writing first.