# Orthopaedic Surgery Independent Medical Examinations

> A surgeon answers what the injury is, what caused it, and what function remains. IMECore keeps the referral questions and the imaging on the same file.

Source: https://imecore.com/specialties/orthopaedic-surgery

## The file asks three things and the report answers one

The referral asks about causation, impairment, and work capacity. The surgeon gets a letter with none of the imaging attached and a hearing date that will not move.

- Imaging arrives as a disc nobody can open the week of the exam.
- The causation question goes unanswered and counsel sends it back.
- Prior injuries hide in an earlier file nobody attached.

## What IMECore does about it

### The joint, the spine, the fracture

The surgeon examines the injured structure, reviews the imaging, and separates the accident injury from degenerative change already present.

### Imaging attached before booking

X-ray, MRI, and operative reports sit on the case with source and date. IMECore flags a missing series before the appointment is confirmed.

### Causation in plain causation language

The template asks what the accident caused, what it aggravated, and what would have happened anyway. Each answer stands on its own.

## Questions people ask

### What does an orthopaedic surgeon assess in an IME?

In an Independent Medical Examination (IME), the surgeon assesses bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and the spine. The opinion covers what was injured, what the imaging shows, whether surgery is indicated, and what permanent impairment remains. No treatment is given at the appointment.

### What should an examinee expect?

A history of the injury and prior problems in the same area, a physical examination of movement and strength, and a review of the scans. No treatment is given at the appointment.

### What can this specialty not answer?

It cannot speak to a psychiatric condition, a cognitive deficit, or chronic pain without an orthopaedic source. Those questions belong to psychiatry, psychology, or pain medicine.

### When is a Medical File Review enough instead?

When the imaging and operative notes already answer causation and only an impairment rating is missing. A Medical File Review (paper review) cannot test current movement or strength.