Preparing a medical chronology takes anywhere from part of a day to several weeks, driven mainly by the page count, the number of providers and how legible the records are. Zicron delivers in 48 hours from a complete record set.
When people ask how long a chronology takes, they usually mean one of two things: how many hours of work it is, or how many days until it's back on their desk. The second depends on the first plus the preparer's queue, and often on something neither of you controls: getting the records.
We don't quote other providers' turnaround times here. They vary with each provider's workload and aren't always published. Ask for a date in writing, and ask when the clock starts.
Where the time goes
| Stage | What happens | What drives the time |
|---|---|---|
| Record retrieval | Requests go to each provider; records come back by mail, fax, portal or disc | Number of providers, each provider's process, missing authorizations. Often the longest stage. |
| Intake and sorting | Files are combined, duplicates removed, pages put in date order | Duplicates, faxed copies, out-of-order pages, mixed billing records |
| First pass | Each encounter is read and summarized as a dated, cited entry | Page count, handwriting, poor scans, dense ICU or nursing-home charting |
| Checking | Entries are checked against the source pages; dates and citations verified | How many entries there are and how careful the check is |
| Summary and delivery | Case summary written; output formatted as PDF or Word | Depth of summary; any analysis beyond the facts |
What makes one case take longer than another
- Page count. The biggest single factor. A few hundred pages from one hospital stay and several thousand pages from years of treatment are different jobs.
- Number of providers. Each facility has its own format and date conventions, and entries from all of them have to be merged into one timeline.
- Handwriting and scan quality. Handwritten progress notes, nursing flow sheets and faxed copies slow reading. Pages that can't be read reliably should be flagged, not guessed.
- Record type. ICU flow sheets, nursing-home charts and medication administration records are dense and repetitive, and take longer per page than an office visit note.
- Depth. A factual timeline is faster than one with clinical commentary or a standard-of-care analysis.
- Records that arrive late. Adding a provider after the work is done means re-merging the timeline.
How to get a realistic date
- Count the pages and providers before asking for a date. A preparer can only estimate from what you tell them.
- Send one complete set rather than a trickle. Partial sets restart the clock or produce a chronology that has to be redone.
- Say what matters: the incident date, the injuries claimed and any deadline such as a demand, mediation or deposition.
- Ask whether the date is calendar days or business days, and whether rush service costs more.
- Build in your own review time. Someone on your side should read the chronology before it goes into a demand or to an expert.
Zicron's turnaround
Zicron delivers a case summary and one timeline across every provider, each entry cited to its page, within 48 hours of receiving a complete record set. The price is $450 per case for up to 500 pages, then $0.50per additional page, and the first case is half price. Software does the first pass and the founder checks the output against the source pages before delivery. Zicron doesn't retrieve records; you send the set you have through a secure upload link.
See a sample chronology (a fictional case), or describe your case for a firm quote. Legal nurse consultants can start from the LNC page.
Frequently asked questions
- How long does it take to prepare a medical chronology?
- It depends mostly on the page count, the number of providers and the preparer's queue. Preparing the chronology itself can take anywhere from part of a day for a short, clean record set to several weeks for thousands of pages, and getting the records in the first place often takes longer than both. Zicron's turnaround is 48 hours from a complete record set.
- When does the turnaround clock start?
- Usually when the provider has a complete record set, not when you first make contact. Ask every provider to say this in writing, and ask what happens if more records arrive after the work has started.
- Why does record retrieval take so long?
- Records come from each hospital, clinic, pharmacy and facility separately, and each has its own request process. Under the HIPAA right of access, a covered entity generally has up to 30 days to respond to a patient's request, with one 30-day extension; some state laws set shorter deadlines. Requests made by a law firm with an authorization can take longer in practice.
- Can a medical chronology be done faster?
- Yes. Send a complete, de-duplicated set in one upload, tell the preparer the case type and the questions that matter, and flag known gaps. Software-assisted first passes cut the sorting time, but the output still has to be checked against the source pages before anyone relies on it.