Your insurance company will send you notice of your upcoming Independent Medical Examination. In advance of the exam, your relevant medical records will be sent to the physician. The physician may also receive a letter from the insurance company pushing them to do or check on certain things, which the IME doctor will use to guide the examination. They may be interested in questions like:
- Was the condition correctly diagnosed?
- Could the condition be pre-existing or caused by something else?
- Are any of the conditions or injuries permanent?
- Is the current treatment regimen proper and medically necessary?
- Will the condition require future medical treatments?
- Will you be able to return to work?
The exam itself will probably be a typical physician exam: They will ask you about your accident and injuries, collect a medical history, review the treatments you’re receiving, and conduct small tests to check your range of motion or grip strength.
As you go through the exam, be sure you are truthful about your symptoms and injuries. But also, only provide the information that is requested. Regular doctor-patient confidentiality does not exist with the IME physician, so do not elaborate or let yourself get too conversational.
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