Independent medical examinations have a big impact on the legal context as they can provide an impartial evaluation of the injuries or medical conditions that an individual has suffered in the workplace. There are some challenges in this process as well which will be discussed at length in the article below.
When it comes to a medical examination and assessment the impartiality of the medical examiner has to be considered. The selection of the medical examination is done by the party that is arranging the examination and this will generally be done by the legal representative or the insurance company. Therefore, in some cases, there can be a potential for bias as the examiner can be influenced by the party that is ensuing payment for the assessment. This can provide some challenges on the credibility of this examination. Also, there is a limited timeframe for most independent medical examinations which can be challenging for the individual that is undergoing the assessment and the examining physician. This can affect the thoroughness of the evaluation. Sometimes, the physical can receive an incomplete understanding of the medical condition because of this. Therefore, there has to be adequate time to carry out a comprehensive assessment especially when it comes to complicated cases. For example, if the employee has multiple medical issues, more time is required to carry out the assessment.
It is very important to maintain effective communication
During the independent medical examinations so that the examining physician is able to understand the medical history of the individual along with their limitations and symptoms. But there are certain factors that can contribute to misunderstanding such as language barriers. The individual may be anxious during the examination that can affect how they respond to the questions asked and the level of clarity they maintain. This can affect the accuracy of the information that is provided to the medical examiner. A good way to prevent this is to document the journey you have had regarding the illness or injury when you are the individual being assessed. You can take the time to compile all the information regarding this and write a comprehensive narrative of the changes that has taken place in your life after the incident. This will help provide the right details to the medical examiner.
Sometimes there can be inconsistencies in
The findings between what the treating physician of the individual provides and that of the independent medical examiner. This can be due to differences in interpretation or sometimes certain aspects of the medical history can be different. It is very important to resolve these inconsistencies so that an accurate report can be provided to facilitate legal and insurance determinations. As the independent medical examiner does not have a treating relationship with the individual, they will not have a good idea of their complete medical history. And this can affect the accurate assessment of how the individual’s condition progressed and the context for the condition. Sometimes important details can be overlooked which will have a big impact on the assessment.
