An Independent Medical Examination (IME) is a tool that insurance carriers use to examine their own customers that have been injured in an accident to suspend their medical benefits or limit their medical treatment under Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance. Unfortunately, the examinations are:
- obligatory, if the insurance carrier can show that the medical condition is salient to the medical benefits claim, and
- rarely “independent” since the physician has been hand-picked by the insurance carrier, who expects the doctor to report back in their favor.
However, the IME physician must have the same licensing as your treating physician (e.g. a neurologist must examine you if you are being treated by a neurologist), the insurance company is required to pay for the IME, and they cannot make you travel unreasonable distances.
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