Expert Witness Testimony

Many of the Accreditation Consulting Group (ACG) consultants have had experience acting as an expert witness.  This includes testifying both in court and during depositions.  ACG consultants have acted as expert witnesses for both the plaintiff and the defense. In many cases, attorneys are not familiar with the intricacies of human services.  In particular, the regulatory and best practices can be esoteric to a person who does not work with such standards and rules on a daily basis.  As an expert witness, our consultants can help with comprehending how certain regulations or standards should have applied to a particular situation.  Whether an organization is accredited through CARF or another organization or licensed by a particular state, our consultants, when acting as an expert witness, are well versed in best practices for the industry thus gaining insight to a particular situation that has led to litigation. 

The types of cases where an ACG consultant can provide expert testimony include:

Personal Injury:

This includes traumatic brain injuries (TBI), cases where the person is injured while receiving services from a provider, cases where an employee was injured while working for a provider, cases when a disability was caused by fault, etc.

Regulatory Insight:

In many cases, accidents occur when regulations and/or standards are not being met.  In other cases, misinterpreted regulations and/or standard seem to paint a picture of fault which can be defended by an expert who can accurately interrupt the regulations and/or standard. 

Best Practices:

Sometimes the knowledge of best practices is helpful for understanding what did or should have occurred in a particular incident.  Examples may include the type of training that staff members receive, amount of oversight from supervisors, screening process of employees, how medications are handled, etc.  ACG consultants have vast experience of best practices throughout the US and Canada.   

Organizational Practices:

In some cases, understanding how services are provided by a particular organization as compared to how other organizations provide similar services may be helpful or provide insight into case.

Community-Based Service Spectrum:

Community-based services continue to expand for persons with many varied disabilities.  An understanding of what such community-based service should be providing and what the limitations can be very helpful in some cases.

Reasonable Expectations:

Services from a community-based organization has numerous responsibilities which are outlined in regulations and/or standards.  Yet, there are limits to those responsibilities which can shed light on some cases. 

Continuum of Care:

When a person is injured, it is sometimes helpful to know what services will be available for a person with a permanent disability and the potential cost.  This helps with the development of a plan for the on-going costs of providing help/intervention for an acquired injury.