Independent medical reporting organisation (“MRO”) Medical and Professional Services Ltd has formally rebranded as MAPS Medical Reporting. Established in 1999, MAPS is a leading provider of medico-legal reporting services to some of the biggest names in UK personal injury litigation; it now hopes to expand its client base and develop the opportunities presented by MedCo.
MAPS boasts a nationwide network of physical and psychological health professionals, rehabilitation experts and first-class treatment centres built up over 18 years of servicing the UK personal injury sector.
The rebrand coincides with the government’s announcement that it will be increasing the small claims limit for soft tissue injuries to £5,000 and to £2,000 for all other injuries.
“The legal landscape for personal injury claims has changed exponentially in the last five years, and we have consistently kept pace with that. The proposals put forward by the Ministry of Justice on whiplash and small claims is a prime example. We have positioned ourselves to focus on higher value and more complex cases outside of the lower value road traffic claims market and this means that we will not currently be affected by the proposed changes,” explained David Stothard, managing director.
“We believe that we are unique in the market in combining an established national medico-legal expert witness panel with a small flexible business structure. This makes us an ideal partner for law firms who generate PI cases from all across the country but don’t want a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Although we have the breadth of expertise to service low value soft tissue injury claims through the MedCo process, we have concentrated on growing our client base by converting MedCo leads into larger contracts and recently completed our 300,000th medico-legal report.”
While it sent shockwaves through the sector, MAPS treated the introduction of the MedCo portal system as an opportunity to convert one-off low value medico-legal instructions into long-term, stable client relationships by demonstrating that quality and service could be balanced with speed and price.
“Continuing to meet the qualifying criteria for MedCo and investing in a new brand, website and case management processes are all part of our wider strategy for growing and diversifying our client base by modernising and professionalising the image of medical reporting organisations.”
MAPS Medical Reporting’s ambition is to become the leading medico-legal report provider to the UK’s niche and specialist personal injury and clinical negligence law firms, by demonstrating the difference an effective MRO partner can make to the level of damages secured, case duration and outcomes for injury victims.
“There is a danger that some MROs are treated as little more than an unwelcome administrative part of the litigation process. While that may change following the government’s ban on pre-med offers, we have always understood that our role goes beyond providing an off the shelf service,” continued David.
“Our team adds value by using their own direct experience of running personal injury litigation to provide fast access to the right type of reports and diagnostics from respected experts, alongside establishing a single point of access to bespoke packages of treatment and rehabilitation to help support injury victims on their journey to recovery.”
