An Independent Medical Evaluation, or IME, is an assessment conducted by a qualified physician who is not involved in the ongoing care of a claimant for a work-related injury. An IME can answer multiple questions regarding a Worker’s Compensation claim. An IME can address:
- An appropriate diagnosis for a work injury or illness
- Causation-whether that diagnosis is related to work
- Recommendations for further care-what treatment would be appropriate for clinical maintenance or to bring the case to closure
- Maximum medical improvement-whether the case treatment has reached a steady state and the claimant’s clinical condition will be unlikely to change for the foreseeable future
- Permanent partial impairment-an estimate of the loss, loss of use, or derangement of an organ or organ system in the body
- Work restrictions-what physical restrictions would be appropriate on an acute or permanent basis to allow an injured worker to return to work, or whether a claimant would be unable to return to work regardless of work restrictions
When Does Someone Need an IME?
IMEs can be scheduled to address various issues involved in work-related cases, such as controversies regarding an appropriate diagnosis for a work-related injury, disagreements between the employee and employer, proposed treatment by different physicians, questions concerning work-relatedness of an injury or illness, questions regarding an employee’s ability to work (i.e., disability), and the degree of impairment.
Why Schedule an IME with a Medix Provider?
Medix physicians have over 40 years of experience providing objective and fair evaluations for defense and claimants and have an excellent reputation for objectivity.
What Is the Medix IME Process?
Once the IME is scheduled with our staff, we will request medical records to review, and send a questionnaire for the examinee to complete (if the requesting party doesn’t have it already). About one week before the exam our staff will contact the person who scheduled the examination to remind the examinee of the pending appointment and the need to bring the questionnaire with them to the appointment.
After completion of the exam, Medix physicians will generate a report concerning the case.
Obtain an Experienced Evaluation From Medix
Independent Medical Evaluations are available by appointment only. To schedule an evaluation, contact our office today.