Mike Swanson
c74e5bccbb
Author: Mike Swanson Machine: DESKTOP-0O8A1RL Timestamp: 2026-05-13 10:19:52
159 lines
9.1 KiB
Markdown
159 lines
9.1 KiB
Markdown
# Nichols Case Analysis — Folder Structure & Prompt Structuring
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**Source:** NICHOLS, LUIS.rar (SMB case folder)
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**Purpose:** Cross-reference real case folder structure with Robert's template; analyze demand letter construction to inform prompt design
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---
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## 1. Actual Folder Structure vs. Template
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Robert's template uses 11 numbered folders. The real SMB case uses named folders with sub-folders:
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| Real Folder | Maps To Template | Notes |
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|---|---|---|
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| `INTAKE/` | 01 Intake and Client Facts | Fee agreement, intake form, liens & costs summary |
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| `ACCIDENT REPORT/` | 02 Liability Documents | TPD report + records request |
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| `PHOTOS TAKEN BY CLIENT/` | 03 Photos and Videos | Vehicle damage photos |
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| `DOCS FROM CLIENT/` | 01 (partial) | IDs, insurance cards, UC summary, transaction receipts |
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| `MEDICAL RECORDS & BILLS/` | 05 + 06 combined | All provider R&B in one folder |
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| `LIENS/Cigna/` | 07 Liens and LOPs | ERISA proof letters, Rawlings/Machinify correspondence |
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| `WAGE LOSS/` | 08 Wage Loss | Wage loss form |
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| `CORRESPONDENCE/State Farm-Def/` | 09 Adjuster Correspondence | Rep letters, SF responses |
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| `CORRESPONDENCE/Geico-UM UIM/` | 09 (partial) | UIM carrier correspondence, DEC page, LOA |
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| `SETTLEMENT DEMAND/` | 11 AI Output | Demand letter (this is OUTPUT, not input) |
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| `IMPACT STATEMENT/` | Not in template | Client's written impact narrative — critical input |
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| `MEDICAL REQUESTS/` | Not in template | Admin correspondence to obtain records — NOT useful to AI |
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| `COSTS/` | Not in template | Paid receipts for record retrieval — NOT useful to AI |
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| `NOTES/`, `NOTES.docx` | Not in template | Attorney case notes — high value |
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| `Eval Sheet - Nichols.xlsx` | Not in template | Case facts, parties, insurance info, summary — high value |
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**Critical finding:** The firm does not use Robert's 11-folder template in practice. The app must accommodate the real named-folder structure, not the template.
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---
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## 2. Document-to-Demand-Letter Cross-Reference
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| Demand Letter Section | Source Documents |
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|---|---|
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| Opening — claim number, adjuster, settlement deadline | `Eval Sheet - Nichols.xlsx` (Cassandra Luque, claim 03-91P4-55L) |
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| Total specials ($7,538.68) | `INTAKE/Liens & Medical Costs.pdf` |
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| Liability narrative — police diagram, A.R.S. citation, driver statements | `ACCIDENT REPORT/TPD Report.pdf` |
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| Property damage description | `PHOTOS TAKEN BY CLIENT/` (referenced visually) |
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| Medical chronology (Oct 6 – Jan 7) | `MEDICAL RECORDS & BILLS/` — four providers |
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| Specials breakdown by provider | `MEDICAL RECORDS & BILLS/` — itemized from bills |
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| Pain/function/loss of enjoyment | `IMPACT STATEMENT/Impact Statement.pdf` |
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| Wage loss narrative (3 weeks, career adjustment) | `WAGE LOSS/Wage Loss Form.pdf` + Impact Statement |
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| Future damages (residual at discharge) | `MEDICAL RECORDS & BILLS/NWMC R&B.pdf` (PT discharge notes) |
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| Causation / no pre-existing condition | `MEDICAL RECORDS & BILLS/` (PT notes: "no past medical history") |
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| Arizona jury value framing | No source doc — attorney judgment / style |
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| Settlement posture / deadline | No source doc — firm boilerplate |
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**Documents NOT referenced in the demand letter:**
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- `MEDICAL REQUESTS/` — admin only, never cited
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- `COSTS/` — admin only, never cited
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- `CORRESPONDENCE/` — rep letters and SF/Geico responses not cited in demand
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- `LIENS/` — Cigna lien acknowledged but not yet resolved at time of demand
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---
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## 3. Key Observations for Prompt Design
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### 3a. Document categories to INCLUDE in AI prompt
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Send these to Claude, labeled by category:
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1. **Eval Sheet / Intake Form** — parties, claim numbers, accident summary, injuries, insurance
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2. **Police Report** — liability facts, diagram, citation, A.R.S. section, driver statements
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3. **Medical Records & Bills** — full chronology, diagnoses, treatment progression, discharge notes, provider totals
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4. **Impact Statement** — client narrative, functional limitations, wage loss story
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5. **Wage Loss Form** — documented lost work and earnings
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6. **Liens correspondence** — lien holder identity, amounts if known, ERISA status
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7. **Vehicle photos** — Claude vision; describe damage for liability section
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8. **Attorney notes** — attorney's own framing and emphasis points
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### 3b. Document categories to EXCLUDE from AI prompt
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These add noise, inflate token count, and contain no case-analysis value:
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- `MEDICAL REQUESTS/` — letters to providers requesting records; content is boilerplate
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- `COSTS/` — paid receipts for CIOX/ChartSwap; dollar amounts already in Liens & Costs summary
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- `CORRESPONDENCE/` rep letters — standard form letters; no case facts
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- `SETTLEMENT DEMAND/` — this is the OUTPUT, never feed back as input
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- `Thumbs.db` — Windows thumbnail cache, always skip
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- Duplicate files (e.g., "Northwest Urgent Care R&B (dup).pdf")
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### 3c. Demand letter style observations
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Robert's demand letter is significantly more aggressive and structured than a generic PI demand. The prompt must capture this:
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- **No opening dollar demand** — demands a written offer from the adjuster instead
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- **Trial-ready framing throughout** — "the first liability exhibit for the jury will be..."
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- **Preemptive defense rebuttal** — addresses "minor impact / soft tissue" objection directly
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- **Arizona-specific statutory language** — A.R.S. citations, jury instruction framing
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- **Human story leads** — client's age, occupation, and how injury affects livelihood
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- **Specials presented as gross billed**, with exclusions clearly noted
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- **Future damages discussed without a dollar figure** — flags residual findings without fabricating a number
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- **Eggshell plaintiff doctrine addressed explicitly**
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- **Specific instructions to the adjuster** on how to format their response
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### 3d. Prompt restructuring recommendations
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**Robert's current prompt** asks for 10 items in one pass. Recommend splitting into two stages:
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**Stage 1 — Fact extraction (per document category):**
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```
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For each uploaded document, extract:
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- Dates and timeline entries
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- Provider names and diagnoses
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- Dollar amounts (bills, liens, lost wages)
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- Liability facts (parties, citations, statements)
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- Client-reported symptoms and limitations
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- Missing items (providers referenced but no records received)
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Output as structured JSON — not prose.
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```
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**Stage 2 — Demand letter generation (using Stage 1 output):**
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```
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Using the extracted facts, draft a settlement demand letter in the style of
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Grabb & Durando, P.C.:
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- No opening dollar demand; request a written offer by [deadline]
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- Lead with liability — cite the police report, citation, A.R.S. section, driver statements
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- Frame property damage using photo descriptions
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- Include a full medical chronology in date order, by provider
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- Calculate gross billed specials by provider, total them, note exclusions
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- Human story section: client's age, occupation, how injury affects earning ability
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- Address the anticipated "soft tissue / minor impact" defense preemptively
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- Reference Arizona jury value and jury instruction framing
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- Specify what the adjuster's response must include
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- Future damages: flag residual findings without fabricating a dollar figure
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- Eggshell plaintiff doctrine if pre-existing susceptibility is plausible
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```
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**Why two stages:** Stage 1 with structured JSON output gives the app an auditable fact base. Staff can review the extracted facts before the demand is drafted. If a bill amount or date is wrong, they catch it at Stage 1, not buried in a paragraph.
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---
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## 4. App Design Implications
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1. **Folder mapping UI needed** — since the real folder names don't match the template, the upload UI should let staff map their folders to the standard categories (or auto-detect by name)
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2. **Exclusion logic** — app should auto-exclude MEDICAL REQUESTS, COSTS, Thumbs.db, and duplicates
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3. **Eval Sheet parsing** — the Excel file is high-value structured data; parse it separately and inject as JSON context (don't treat as a document to summarize)
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4. **Photo handling** — Claude vision for vehicle damage photos; describe damage for liability section
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5. **Specials tally** — Stage 1 should output a provider-by-provider specials table that staff verifies before Stage 2 runs
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6. **Tracked changes** — firm keeps `.tracked.docx` versions; app should save both clean and tracked output
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7. **Lien status** — Cigna/Rawlings lien was still unresolved at demand time; app should flag "lien unresolved" as a checklist item
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---
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## 5. Updated Document Category Mapping (for app)
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| App Category Label | Real Folder(s) | Priority |
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| Intake / Case Facts | `INTAKE/`, `Eval Sheet`, `DOCS FROM CLIENT/` | High |
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| Liability / Police Report | `ACCIDENT REPORT/` | High |
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| Photos | `PHOTOS TAKEN BY CLIENT/` | High (vision) |
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| Medical Records & Bills | `MEDICAL RECORDS & BILLS/` | High |
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| Impact Statement | `IMPACT STATEMENT/` | High |
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| Wage Loss | `WAGE LOSS/` | High |
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| Liens & LOPs | `LIENS/` | Medium |
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| Adjuster Correspondence | `CORRESPONDENCE/State Farm-Def/`, `CORRESPONDENCE/Geico-UM UIM/` | Low |
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| Attorney Notes | `NOTES/`, `NOTES.docx` | Medium |
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| SKIP | `MEDICAL REQUESTS/`, `COSTS/`, `SETTLEMENT DEMAND/`, Thumbs.db | Exclude |
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