The insurance company sends you a letter. You’re scheduled for an independent medical examination with a doctor you’ve never met. The appointment is mandatory, and missing it could jeopardize your benefits.
Despite the name, these exams aren’t independent.
The insurance company chooses the doctor. They pay the doctor. And they expect a report that helps them deny or minimize your claim. That doesn’t mean every IME doctor is dishonest, but it does mean you need to understand what’s happening and how to protect yourself.
At Antezana & Antezana, LLC., we prepare clients for independent medical exams by explaining what to expect, how to communicate clearly, and which tactics to watch for.
What An Independent Medical Examination Actually Is
An IME happens when the workers’ compensation insurer questions your treating doctor’s opinions. Maybe your doctor says you need surgery, but the insurer wants a second opinion. Maybe you’re claiming permanent restrictions, and they want someone to evaluate whether you can return to full duty.
Under the Virginia workers’ compensation law, insurers have the right to request an IME. You must attend, answer questions honestly, and submit to reasonable physical examination. Refusing to go can result in suspension of benefits.
The examining doctor reviews your medical records, asks about your injury and symptoms, performs a physical exam, and writes a report. That report goes to the insurance company, not to you. It often concludes that you’re not as injured as you claim, that you don’t need the treatment your doctor recommends, or that you’re capable of working despite medical restrictions.
Why IME Doctors Often Favor Insurance Companies
The same doctors perform IMEs repeatedly for the same insurance companies. If a doctor consistently writes reports favorable to injured workers, the insurer stops hiring them. If a doctor’s reports support claim denials, the referrals keep coming.
This creates a financial incentive to minimize injuries. Some doctors spend as little as 10 or 15 minutes with you before writing a detailed report questioning months of treatment by your regular physician.
How To Prepare For Your IME
Preparation matters. The exam itself is brief, but what you say and how you present can significantly impact the report.
Review Your Medical History
Know your injury date, how the accident happened, which body parts were injured, what treatment you’ve received, and which doctors you’ve seen. The IME doctor will ask these questions, and inconsistent answers create doubt about your credibility.
Be Honest About Symptoms
Describe your pain and limitations accurately. Don’t exaggerate, but don’t downplay either. If your back hurts every day, say so. If certain movements make it worse, explain which ones.
IME doctors watch for inconsistencies. If you say you can’t lift anything, but then easily get on the exam table without assistance, they’ll note that in the report.
Don’t Perform Beyond Your Abilities
The doctor may ask you to bend, twist, lift, or perform other movements. Do what you can within your actual limitations. Don’t push through pain to prove you’re trying hard. If something hurts or feels unsafe, stop and say so.
Some doctors deliberately ask you to do things that exceed your restrictions to see if you’ll comply.
What Happens During The Exam
Most IMEs follow a pattern. The doctor asks about your injury history, current symptoms, treatment, and daily limitations. They perform a physical examination that may include a range of motion testing, strength testing, and provocative maneuvers designed to reproduce symptoms.
The exam rarely lasts more than 30 minutes. Some take 15.
The doctor won’t discuss findings with you. They won’t answer questions about your prognosis or treatment options. They’ll thank you for coming and send you on your way. The report usually arrives a few weeks later.
Common IME Tactics To Watch For
Focusing on What You Can Do, Not What You Can’t
The doctor notes that you walked into the office without a cane, sat down without assistance, and removed your jacket independently. The report emphasizes these activities while minimizing your complaints about pain during prolonged standing or lifting.
Attributing Symptoms to Pre‑Existing Conditions
If you have any prior injuries or degenerative changes, the IME doctor may claim your current symptoms result from those conditions rather than the work injury. This happens even when your treating doctor clearly connects symptoms to the workplace accident.
Suggesting You’re Not Trying Hard Enough
Reports sometimes include language about submaximal effort, symptom magnification, or inconsistent findings. This plants doubt about whether you’re genuinely hurt or just trying to avoid work.
What To Do After The IME
Get a copy of the report as soon as it’s available. For an Arlington workers’ compensation lawyer, reviewing IME reports quickly allows us to respond with rebuttal evidence before the insurer makes decisions based on biased findings.
We often send the IME report to your treating doctor and ask for a written response addressing inaccuracies or explaining why the IME doctor’s conclusions are wrong. Treating physicians who see you regularly carry more weight than doctors who spend 20 minutes examining you.
If the IME report leads to benefit denials, we challenge those decisions through the workers’ compensation commission process.
For an experienced Arlington workers’ compensation lawyer, IME reports are just one piece of evidence in a larger claim. If you’ve been scheduled for an independent medical exam and want guidance on how to handle it, reach out to our team so we can prepare you for what to expect and protect your rights throughout the process.