We believe that a fair and unbiased independent medical examination transcends the adversarial process and serves to:
- Assess the cause and extent of injury and expedite the provision of adequate treatment
- Facilitate the coordination of multi-disciplinary rehabilitative treatment
- Provide direction for appropriate case management
- Accurately and impartially assess the extent of permanent partial impairment
- Reduce the period of disability
- Reduce the costs of litigation
Each member of the Washington Association of Independent Medical Examiners is expected to adhere to the following ethical guidelines. Doctors should:
- Be honest, impartial, professional, and ethical in all matters;
- At the evaluation:
- Introduce him/herself, and advise the examinee verbally and/or in writing of the nature of an IME, the name of the party requesting the evaluation, that information obtained generally will be reported to them, and that no physician-patient relationship will be established;
- Treat the examinee with courtesy and dignity;
- Allow a family member or friend to attend non-psychiatric portions of the IME if requested, provided the other person does not interfere;
- Provide adequate privacy (gown and/or drape), and a chaperone if requested, if the examinee must disrobe for the physical examination;
- At the end of the evaluation ask if there is further information the examinee would like to add;
- Obtain and review all known and available data of relevance, otherwise decline to render, or qualify, opinions based on limited information;
- Reach diagnoses and conclusions consistent with the evidence presented, the generally accepted medical literature, and where applicable, the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment or state/federal law and rules;
- Not express opinions which they, by virtue of education, training, and experience, are not qualified to render;
- Give due consideration to, and address conflicting diagnoses and conclusions in a professional and constructive manner;
- Never accept a referral dependent upon writing a report favorable to the requesting party, or a fee contingent upon the outcome of a case;
- Limit disclosure of information provided and obtained to those with a legal right to know;
- Receive continuing education sufficient to maintain licensure within their respective profession and permit performance of competent independent medical examination.