What is a Personal Injury IME

When an insurance company or defendant in a personal injury case has questions about the cause or extent of a personal injury client's injuries, they have the right under the law to send the person to the doctor of their choosing for examination. The exam is commonly referred to as an independent medical exam or "IME. The name became popular because the Doctor is supposed to provide an independent opinion about the person's injuries. The truth is there is nothing independent about the opinion. In fact, in an effort to show the clear bias of the opinions, personal injury lawyers often refer to them as defense medical exams.

The bias occurs because the insurance companies search out doctors that they know in advance are more likely to conclude the injuries were not caused by the event claimed by the injured party. In addition, if the doctor sides with the injured person he or she will not get any repeat business. The result is that the overwhelming majority of IME doctors find a way to side with the insurance company. The insurance company then uses the doctors conclusions to deny benefits or convince a jury that a personal injury plaintiff does not deserve compensation. A great article that exposes the bias can be found at the New York Times website.