Just How ‘Independent’ are Medical Assessments? Chris Richard, an expert personal injury lawyer in St Catherines, sat down with host Lee Sterry of Niagara’s 610 Newstalk Radio and discussed the topic of the “independence” of Independent Medical Assessments and what they mean for your case. Chris is a personal injury lawyer from the law firm Graves and Richard, a premier law firm in St Catharines.
What are Independent Medical Assessments? For example, if someone injured in an accident feels they would benefit from receiving physiotherapy treatment, the insurance company would set up a mandatory medical examination by a practicing physician to determine the extent of that person’s disability and to provide an opinion as to whether the desired treatment is beneficial. The doctor performs the examination and then provides his or her opinion in written form.
Case studies Chris shared that several years back he had a client who received a Medical Assessment from a doctor practicing out of a Medical Assessment clinic that had a very small clinical practice and a very large assessment practice. The client had been injured in a car accident and needed help with housekeeping assistance. The insurance company denied the claim and sent her for an IMA. The doctor’s opinion was that the client didn’t require any housekeeping assistance because she could do all of her own house work as long as it didn’t require any lifting, bending, squatting or reaching!
Independent Medical Assessors vs. Family Doctors One of the interesting aspects of IMAs is the claim by examining doctors that opinions provided by family doctors doing primary care to the injured person are unreliable. Any treatment that an insurance company is receiving a request to pay has typically been recommended by an injured person’s family doctor. The doctor performing the IMA often takes the position that the family doctor’s opinion is not to be trusted. This system is not likely to change any time soon. The important point to remember is that you do you not need to put great faith in the opinions provided by doctors performing IMAs. If you have been denied a benefit, and now have a scheduled appointment for an IMA, don’t expect that doctor to help you by giving the opinion that you’re disabled. Working with a personal injury lawyer will ensure that you understand how the insurance system works, and highlight any mistakes made. If you’ve suffered an accident and need a personal injury lawyer in St Catherines, contact the team at Graves and Richard. We’ll help you with insurance company disputes, including slip and fall settlements and car accident insurance claims. Graves and Richard has the experienced and knowledgeable personal injury lawyers and long term disability insurance lawyers you need to help win your case.