Independent Medical Evaluations (IMEs) and Disability Evaluations

When a second opinion is required about an individual's disability, an Independent Medical Evaluation (IME) may be conducted. An IME is similar to a personal injury evaluation except it is usually conducted at the request of an insurance company or by the defendant in a litigation case. Such an evaluation may be requested for many reasons. For example, the individual may have been receiving treatment for an extended period and there is a concern that further treatment is not medically necessary, that the treatment is not effective, whether the individual requires further treatment over an extended period, or whether there are any permanent disabilities as a result of the injury. Such evaluations may also be requested when there is question of malingering on the part of the disabled individual. Given the nature of IME evaluations, the possibility of malingering should always be investigated.

• Review of relevant records and interview subject's pre- and post-injury functioning (e.g., medical and psychological treatment records)
• Background information / relevant history: social history, psychiatric / psychological history, medical history, employment history, substance abuse history
• Clinical interview(s)
• Collateral interview(s) (e.g., spouse) regarding the disabled individual's pre- and post-injury functioning
• Current clinical condition
• Psychological testing regarding disability (e.g., depression and anxiety measures) and other relevant factors (e.g., personality assessment)
• Trauma / PTSD assessment
• Assessment of malingering*
• Summary and formulation of collected data
• Diagnostic impressions, level of impairment in relevant areas and review of factors (e.g., personality functioning) which may contribute to the disability
• Review of treatment, determination as to whether past treatment was sufficient, recommendations regarding further treatment and plaintiff's amenability to treatment and prognosis

* Malingering is routinely investigated by the evaluator and additional objective testing may be conducted at the discretion of the evaluator to confirm/ disconfirm a diagnosis of malingering.

Services in Southeastern Pennsylvania & the Delaware Valley

Dr. Lawler provides Independent Medical Evaluation (IMEs) and Disability Evaluation services in Southeastern Pennsylvania (including Bucks, Philadelphia, Delaware, Montgomery, and Chester Counties) and New Jersey (including Hunterdon, Mercer, Somerset, Burlington, Middlesex, Ocean, Union, and Atlantic Counties).