Independent Medical Evaluation

This comprehensive book thoroughly addresses every aspect of Independent Medical Evaluations, an important part of many medical specialty disciplines where forensic opinions are needed by patients, physicians, insurers, and attorneys. Independent Medical Evaluation: A Practical Guide begins by defining the IME product and the IME evaluator themselves, explaining the medicolegal systems, and providing guidance towards establishing these professional services. Following this, the book describes how to best use medical records, and best-practices for taking an IME history and conducting an examination. The final few chapters cover developing an IME report, the common challenges and pitfalls encountered, with strategies and pearls shared to illustrate how to avoid them. Structured in a concise, practical format, this essential guide includes a large selection of sample models and templates, for additional teaching purposes. The first of its kind, Independent Medical Evaluation: A Practical Guide is a unique and ideal reference text for any physician working with IME’s, from the physician conducting their first exam, to the experienced physician alike.

The AMA established a guide for the rating of physical impairment of the various organ systems which provides clinically sound and reproducible criteria for rating permanent impairment. Contents include- impairment evaluation; records and reports; the musculoskeletal system; the nervous system; the respiratory system; the cardiovascular system; the hematopoietic system; the visual system; ear, nose, throat, and related structures; the digestive system; the urinary and reproductive systems; the endocrine system; the skin; mental and behavioral disorders; pain.

Getting the right diagnosis is a key aspect of health care - it provides an explanation of a patient's health problem and informs subsequent health care decisions. The diagnostic process is a complex, collaborative activity that involves clinical reasoning and information gathering to determine a patient's health problem. According to Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, diagnostic errors-inaccurate or delayed diagnoses-persist throughout all settings of care and continue to harm an unacceptable number of patients. It is likely that most people will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime, sometimes with devastating consequences. Diagnostic errors may cause harm to patients by preventing or delaying appropriate treatment, providing unnecessary or harmful treatment, or resulting in psychological or financial repercussions. The committee concluded that improving the diagnostic process is not only possible, but also represents a moral, professional, and public health imperative. Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, a continuation of the landmark Institute of Medicine reports To Err Is Human (2000) and Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001), finds that diagnosis-and, in particular, the occurrence of diagnostic errorsâ€"has been largely unappreciated in efforts to improve the quality and safety of health care. Without a dedicated focus on improving diagnosis, diagnostic errors will likely worsen as the delivery of health care and the diagnostic process continue to increase in complexity. Just as the diagnostic process is a collaborative activity, improving diagnosis will require collaboration and a widespread commitment to change among health care professionals, health care organizations, patients and their families, researchers, and policy makers. The recommendations of Improving Diagnosis in Health Care contribute to the growing momentum for change in this crucial area of health care quality and safety.

Developed by WHO and the International Committee of the Red Cross in collaboration with the International Federation for Emergency Medicine Basic Emergency Care (BEC): Approach to the acutely ill and injured is an open-access training course for frontline healthcare providers who manage acute illness and injury with limited resources. BEC teaches a systematic approach to the initial assessment and management of time-sensitive conditions where early intervention saves lives. It includes modules on: the ABCDE and SAMPLE history approach trauma difficulty in breathing shock and altered mental status. The practical skills section covers the essential time-sensitive interventions for these key acute presentations. The BEC package includes a Participant Workbook and electronic slide decks for each module. BEC integrates the guidance from WHO Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment (ETAT) for children WHO Pocket Book of Hospital Care for Children WHO Integrated Management of Pregnancy and Childbirth and the Integrated Management of Adult/Adolescent Illness (IMAI).

This book describes statistical techniques for the design and evaluation of research studies on medical diagnostic tests, screening tests, biomarkers and new technologies for classification and prediction in medicine.

The definitive work on drafting and defending independent medical examination reports. It clearly explains how to make your IME reports more powerful and persuasive, the 25 tactics opposing counsel will use while cross-examining you and how to defeat each, damaging extraneous language that should not be included, the advantages and hidden pitfalls of word processor report templates, best practices in documenting the medical records reviewed, history, physical examination, and other components of a quality IME Report, how to turn the tables on the attorney cross-examining you on your report, and how to write more valuable, more sought after IME reports.