Independent Medical Examinations
An evaluation performed by a doctor who is not involved in the patient’s care for the purpose of establishing medical and job-related issues. IMEs are often conducted for injured workers to determine the cause, extent and medical treatment of an injury. Most requests for IMEs are for discovering whether a worker has reached maximum benefit from treatment or whether any permanent impairment remains from the injury. While an IME involves a physician and a patient, an IME does not constitute the normal physician-patient treating relationship.
