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10LEGAL MEDICOMAGAZINESponsored by:When choosing and negotiating with medico-legal agencies, you need to consider a number of different factors. How you weigh up the importance of these different factors will depend on your business priorities and strategy.There are a number of key characteristics that you should look for when identifying and short listing possible agencies as suppliers.Quality and reliabilityThe quality of your reports needs to be consistent –your customers associate poor quality with you, not your agencies. Equally, if your agency lets you down with a late delivery or sub-standard report, you may let your customer down. Number of experts and specialisms coveredGet the agency to identify the specialisms they cover and the number of experts they are contracted with. Also ask if they can supply redacted reports from any expert prior to you instructing them.Speed and flexibilityFlexible agencies help you respond quickly to changing customer demands and sudden emergencies.Value for moneyThe lowest price is not always the best value for money. If you want reliability and quality from your agencies, you'll have to decide how much you're willing to pay for your reports and the balance you want to strike between cost, reliability, quality and service.Strong service and clear communicationYou need your agencies to deliver on time, or to be honest and give you plenty of warning if they can't. The best agencies will want to talk with you regularly to find out what needs you have now and how they can serve you better in the future.Financial securityIt's always worth making sure your supplier has sufficiently strong cashflow to deliver what you want, when you need it. A simple check on the companies house website will help reassure you that they won't go out of business when you need them most.CertificationsDoes the agency hold any certifications such as ISO 9001, ISO 27001, ISO 14001? If they do this would indicate an agency that has detailed processes and MEDICO LEGAL AGENCIES: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. HOW TO CHOOSE?By Ben Elsom, Medical Reports Ltd