Disgruntled legal representatives negatively expressed
their opinion of MedCo's new whiplash case medical reports that hinted at
'gaming' the system.
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers blamed MedCo
for lax screening, auditing and accreditation of firms even before their online
system started. They added MedCo had not optimised the use of technology
because using technology to stand out from competitors will have no choice
regarding the medical reporting organisations they would use.
Other lawyers, including Kennedys that represents several
motor insurers worldwide had called for transparency for MedCo's new process to
minimise which firms are instructing medical experts. MedCo's aim should be the
breaking of financial relationships between solicitors and experts or medical
reporting organisations. The change of objective would provide a source of
good-quality, transparent experts for claimants.
Many observers said MROs are just data collection
tools where insurers harvest information from medical experts with some believing
that private experts should not report to MedCo.
Kennedys added that whiplash claims had created bad
behaviours and transparency, not monetization or system 'gaming' is required. Head
and Partner of Kennedy's Motor Practice
Niall Edwards from Kennedys said MedCo will need
proper audit procedures in place and proper information management to minimise
bad behaviours. He said the complexity of systems makes them vulnerable to
exploitation that could lead to undesired resolutions.
