After an accident, seeking medical care is a key step towards a successful recovery. From the EMT's initial evaluation to any emergency room notes and doctors' reports, staying informed and up to date benefits not only your health, but your Wisconsin personal injury claim.
Part of staying informed means understanding a different kind of medical evaluation that may arise in an injury claim: the independent medical exam, or IME. The name may sound straightforward enough, like just another doctor's appointment. In reality, IME doctors in Wisconsin personal injury cases are typically professional witnesses hired by insurance companies or defendants in a lawsuit.
Their role is not to treat you or support your recovery in any way. They are there to review your medical records, examine you, and draw conclusions that serve and support the insurance company's interests, not yours.
If you or a loved one has been injured, Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers is here to help. Call 1-855-NICOLET or use our contact form to set up a free consultation with one of our attorneys.
What Does an IME Doctor Do in a Wisconsin Injury Case?
In a Wisconsin personal injury claim, an insurance company may hire a doctor to perform an independent medical exam with the goal of challenging your injuries and undermining your claim.
While you may have attended numerous appointments with your own doctor, the IME doctor may only meet with you once. That single visit allows the IME doctor to tell a jury that they personally examined you, lending them credibility that their conclusions will not earn.
In the exam, the IME doctor will be on the lookout for any reason to question the legitimacy or severity of your injuries, and/or your role in the accident. They may claim that your injuries are unrelated to the accident in question, that you are exaggerating your pain, or that you've fabricated your symptoms entirely.
They may even question your motives or the state of your mental health. This can include suggesting that you are only interested in money or that a mental health condition makes you an unreliable narrator.
These claims can be made even in the absence of any supporting evidence.
Are IME Doctors Always Practicing Doctors?
Not necessarily. Some IME doctors may no longer see patients, while others may only see the occasional patient, to add credibility to the independent medical exams they perform.
It is worth noting that not all IME witnesses are medical doctors. Expert witnesses can also include psychologists, engineers, or other professionals whose opinions touch on some aspect of an injury or case.
As can be expected, the opinions and conclusions of an IME doctor will often directly contradict what your own doctor has documented.
What Can an Attorney Do?
If an independent medical examination becomes part of your Wisconsin injury case, your attorney can take steps to challenge the IME doctor's credibility.
One of the most effective tools is a deposition, where your attorney can question the IME witness under oath before trial. That questioning can expose the witness's lack of credibility, the bias behind their report, and the gap between their conclusions and what your own doctors have found.
Injured? Call A Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney Today
At Nicolet Law, we fight for people navigating some of the hardest moments of their lives. An injury or accident can turn everything upside down, and that stress only grows when the insurance company gets involved.
Insurance companies have resources dedicated to undermining injury claims, and independent medical exam doctors are just one of those tools they use to protect their bottom line. If you or a loved one has been injured, our Wisconsin personal injury lawyers are here to help.
Reach out to us through our contact form or by phone at 1-855-NICOLET to set up a free consultation.
Russell Nicolet, Firm President & Personal Injury Attorney