How Trivent Legal’s Comparative Medical Cost Projection assisted in a Product Liability Case
In a recent personal injury case involving a traumatic eye injury caused by a recreational product, the plaintiff sustained long-term visual impairment and required continued ophthalmic care. The injury led to symptoms such as pain, redness, swelling, and diminished vision in one eye. The attorney representing the plaintiff sought a detailed lifetime medical cost projection and a comparative analysis between two geographic regions: Oxford, Mississippi and Fort Lauderdale, Florida to evaluate the future financial impact of their care needs based on location.
Client Requirement:
The Plaintiff had recently relocated from Oxford, Mississippi to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and sought a comprehensive, long-term medical cost projection that accounted for the difference in healthcare pricing between these two cities. The goal was to understand what the lifetime cost of managing the injury would look like within the specific economic environments of two distinct ZIP codes.
The client requested:
- A full projection of future medical costs related to eye injury.
- A comparative projection that highlighted the cost differential between the two cities.
- The projection needed to include quantifiable percentage differences between the regions and support decision-making.
Trivent Legal’s Approach:
Our team undertook a structured process to deliver a tailored, data-backed Medical Cost Projection (MCP) that addressed both current and future needs.
- Clarifying the Medical Scope
We began by thoroughly reviewing the client’s medical documentation, which included ophthalmology consultations, vision assessments, and records related to the treatment and monitoring of the injury. It was important to identify not just the initial care, but also the anticipated long-term needs. We also consulted ophthalmologists and optometrists from our expert panel to ensure that the care pathway and frequency of interventions we projected were medically realistic and tailored to the injury’s severity.
- Mapping the Lifetime Cost Trajectory
Once the medical trajectory was established, we turned our focus to financial forecasting. Using the Physician Fee Reference (PFR) tool, we mapped each medical service and product coded through CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) standards to its associated cost in both ZIP codes: 38655 (Oxford, MS) and 33312 (Fort Lauderdale, FL).
We did not rely on average or generic costs. Instead, we used geographic multipliers and service-specific rates to reflect actual economic variations between rural Mississippi and urban Florida healthcare markets. Each category of care was itemized and forecasted across the expected duration of the client’s life, with inflation and recurrence frequency factored into the total.
- Constructing the Comparative Analysis
A unique aspect of this project was the client’s interest in understanding how much more expensive healthcare would be in Fort Lauderdale as compared to Oxford. To meet this requirement, we developed a comparative cost model that presented not only absolute figures but also percentage-based increases in each service category. Each of these differences was documented with the associated CPT codes, unit prices, frequency estimates, and justification, ensuring that both the legal and financial implications were clearly understood.
- Delivering a Structured, Courtroom-Ready Report
The final output was a comprehensive Medical Cost Projection Report that included:
- Lifetime cost estimates for each category of treatment
- Geographic price comparisons with clear percentage variances
- A medical narrative to contextualize the care plan
- A structured appendix with CPT codes and data source references
The report was crafted in a format suitable for litigation support, insurance negotiation, or settlement mediation, and also functioned as a personal financial planning document for the client.
Conclusion
This case underscores what sets Trivent Legal apart: we don’t just analyze medical records we build bridges between clinical data, financial realities, and legal objectives. Whether it’s regional cost variance, chronic condition projections, or complex multi-specialty care plans, our team is equipped to deliver tailored Medical Cost Projections that go beyond compliance toward clarity, credibility, and courtroom readiness.