How Trivent Legal Improved Medical Cost Projections Through Strategic Cost Apportionment
John Doe, an adult male injured in a motor vehicle collision, experienced persistent lower back and right hip pain, along with burning and tingling sensations in his right foot. His diagnoses included right hip femoroacetabular impingement and a right hip labral tear—conditions that required both conservative management and surgical consideration. The complexity of his injury raised concerns not only about treatment costs, but how those costs were attributed across multiple injury sites.
Client Requirement
The client initially requested a standard medical cost projection specific to the right hip injury. The projection needed to reflect both conservative care and surgical intervention, accounting for long-term treatment, therapy, and recovery expenses.
How Trivent Legal Helped
Trivent Legal delivered a comprehensive, data-backed Medical Cost Projection report using:
- Detailed medical record review
- Consultation with a board-certified physiatrist
- Physician Fee Reference (PFR) tool to assign jurisdictional cost values
The report included cost estimates for:
- Orthopedic care, pain management, and primary care follow-ups
- Diagnostic imaging for both the hip and foot
- Physical therapy sessions and evaluations
- Injections and surgical intervention for the right hip
- Prescription medications
Outcome and Additional Requirements
After reviewing the projection, the client requested cost apportionment, a breakdown of how much of the lifetime treatment cost was attributable to the right hip versus the right foot. This second phase required Trivent Legal to analyze care overlap and assign treatment-specific values without duplicating costs.
Cost Apportionment in Medical Cost Projections
Apportionment is the process of dividing future medical costs between multiple injured regions in this case, the right hip and right foot.
Through our analysis, we determined:
- Distinct evaluations and diagnostics were performed for the right hip and foot by different specialists, so they were separated in full.
- Therapy services were delivered by the same provider for both injuries. Instead of double-counting the visits, Trivent apportioned therapy costs evenly to reflect usage for both conditions.
- This method prevented cost inflation and ensured an accurate and defensible lifetime medical cost estimate.
Results
Trivent Legal provided the client with:
- A clear, standard medical cost projection based on treatment expectations
- A refined apportionment breakdown, giving the legal team flexibility in negotiating damages
- A defensible, jurisdictionally accurate projection backed by medical insight and data
- The client was highly satisfied with both the quality of the report and the responsiveness to evolving case needs.
Conclusion
This case demonstrates Trivent Legal’s ability to go beyond standard projections and address nuanced legal needs such as cost allocation across multiple injuries. For attorneys handling complex personal injury or liability cases, our Medical Cost Projection and Apportionment services offer clarity, accuracy, and strategic value.