Brain Injury Lawyer

I just received a copy of the newest issue of Brain Injury Professional, the official publication of the North America Brain Injury Society. There, Erin D. Bigler, Ph.D., professor of psychology and neurosciences, Brigham Young University, in an open letter to the editor wrote about what he called "The extravagant, unreasonable and improper charges being made in neuropsychological evaluations done in the name of forensic neuropsychology in cases of individuals with acquired brain injury." He called for a public forum to set guidelines and standards for reasonable compensation within forensic neuropsychology. Dr. Bigler states that these guidelines are desperately needed because what is occurring, he believes, has the potential to undermine the entire process of neuropsychological assessment and consultation in the evaluation of patients with acquired brain injury. Dr. Bigler believes that it is undermining some of the research in traumatic brain injury as it relates to neuropsychological outcome and is having a damaging effect on patients with brain injury. Dr. Bigler notes that while treating doctors can bill between $100-300 per hour with a cap on the total hours that can be billed for assessment, defense forensic neuropsychologists are billing on average approximately $25,000 per evaluation and by the time the case settles those bills may be in excess of $40,000.

This is not the first time that Dr. Bigler has taken on defense forensic neuropsychologists and hopefully it will not be the last.