Healthcare Consultants

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Superior Consultant Holdings Corporation

Guide to IME Healthcare Consultants

Medical consulting companies can provide independent medical exams for employees
By Dianne Needham

Independent medical examiners are medical consultant companies that provide an impartial exam to document the presence or absence of health concerns that may result in financial liability. Employers, their third-party representatives and life insurers are a few examples of those who use the services of IME healthcare consultants.

You may need the services of IME medical consultant companies if:

1. An employee has filed a workers' compensation claim against your business, regardless of whether you dispute the validity of the claim.
2. A current or former employee is seeking disability benefits under your business' disability insurance plan.
3. Your small business needs expert witness services in medical malpractice, HMO peer review or other healthcare business consulting issues.

Regular healthcare practices are too busy to provide independent medical exams, or being community-based, may have a conflict of interest were they to conduct an exam. Your best bet is to contact several medical consulting companies known to provide such services in your area.

When considering medical consulting firms from which to seek IME healthcare consulting services, be sure to:

1. Seek the services of only properly credentialed healthcare consultants.
2. Ask for and then check at least three references of any healthcare consulting firms with which you are considering contracting.
3. Verify that any healthcare consulting firms you interview carry adequate malpractice insurance on their IME professionals.

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Determine if hiring IME medical consultant companies is worth it If you are requesting an IME to dispute a workers compensation, disability or other claim by an employee, weigh the costs of litigating the claim against the cost of settling.


I recommend:  The National Council on Compensation Insurance, Inc offers services and tools on workers' compensation and employee injury data and statistics. Enforcement statistics and litigation for employment discrimination are available through the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Decide if you need to hire an external healthcare consulting company If your business is large enough and you have the budget to contract with a healthcare consulting firm to facilitate and meet your IME needs, there are numerous medical consulting firms that specialize in healthcare and medical consulting. For those in the insurance sales business, contracting with a medical consulting firm is more efficient than arranging exams on a case-by-case basis.

I recommend:  The Medical Consultants Network provides IME services nationwide for employers, insurers and others. Juris Solutions, Inc., American Medical Forensic Specialists, Inc. and the Tasa Group are just a few of the national medical and healthcare consulting companies that provide IMEs and related services.

Get information from healthcare specialists about credentialed IME practitioners online A number of medical associations and professional healthcare organizations provide online healthcare consultants listings that cover IME practitioners. You can find specific practitioners and general credentialing information.

I recommend:  The American Board of Independent Medical Examiners (ABIME) provides a searchable database of ABIME certified physicians. Multi-specialty medical professionals and specialist healthcare consulting companies belong to the American Academy of Disability Evaluating Physicians (AADEP) and the National Association of Disability Examiners (NADE) supports the art and science of disability evaluation. The Seak National Directory of IMEs offers a large database of IME providers, both physicians and other healthcare consultants.

Know your disability and workers' compensation laws Each state has different disability and workers compensation rules and regulations. It's imperative that an employer is educated about these legalities.

I recommend:  A nationwide comprehensive resource and information center for employers is available through the National Workers' Compensation Web site. Questions and answers about the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will help you to understand and comply with ADA law.