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09 October 2015 / Theo Richardson-Gool
Issue: 7671 / Categories: Opinion , Personal injury
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The Medco experiment

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Curtailing RTA fraud is important, but the solution is not MedCo, as Theo Richardson-Gool explains

Since early April practitioners have had to use the Medco portal for experts and medical agencies for all soft tissue injury claims entering the Road Traffic Accidents Portal. MedCo was introduced as part of the plans to clamp down on fraudulent claims, signaling a stated commitment by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to end the era of “questionable whiplash claims by making sure all medical reports are above suspicion”.

The MedCo portal offers the user the option of instructing a “Direct Medical Expert” or “Medical Reporting Organisation” (MROs), both of which require some initial information to be input into the portal which then produces a randomised list of experts and MROs. This “Direct Medical Expert search” displays the results of seven independent medical experts within a 5 to 30 mile radius of the injured party, but does not display the experts’ CVs nor show all of the locations where the experts have medical appointments or even the days and times of

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Flint Bishop—Charlotte Harris

Flint Bishop—Charlotte Harris

Sheffield expansion continues with appointment of commercial property partner

Browne Jacobson—Paul Duggan

Browne Jacobson—Paul Duggan

Browne Jacobson strengthens banking and finance practice with latest partner appointment Paul Duggan

Ward Hadaway—Chris Piggott

Ward Hadaway—Chris Piggott

Employment partner joins Ward Hadaway

NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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