The Independent Medical Exam (IME): An Overview

A medical exam may be requested and scheduled for you by your employer, their insurance carrier, or a judge hearing your case to ensure that you receive appropriate care for your workplace injury or occupational disease. Medical exams can be requested for a variety of other circumstances, but most often when a claim appears to be questionable in some way – or if the quality or terms of your current care are also in question.

You, your workplace approved doctor, employer, or employer’s insurance company may all ask for an evaluation of your condition via an IME to determine the extent of your impairment and whether there are questions about the type and/or duration of treatment you need. You may also ask or be asked for an IME if any party has requested to have your claim closed, reopened, or allowed, or if you or your employer are appealing a decision regarding your claim. The party seeking the IME is required to pay for the examination.

The IME doctor is to be an independent practitioner who provides an independent assessment of the injuries sustained by you and also independently evaluates your course of treatment and may therefore request a variety of medical records in terms of your care. Under certain circumstances, if you do not voluntarily submit to the IME, you may be forced to be examined and such a decision could reflect poorly in your ongoing claim.