# What does an IME cost in Canada?

> Estimate the fee range for an independent medical examination by province, specialty, and report type. Built from published fee guides.

Source: https://imecore.com/tools/ime-cost-estimator

This tool runs entirely in the browser. Nothing is uploaded and no account is needed.

## How to use it

1. **Pick the province and specialty.** Fee guides differ by province. Specialty drives most of the range.
2. **Say what kind of report you need.** A file review costs less than a full examination. An addendum costs less again.
3. **Add the record volume.** Review time scales with pages. Doctors of BC bills review at $122 per 15 minutes.
4. **Read the range, not the number.** The tool returns a low, typical, and high figure. Use it to budget, then get a quote.

## What drives the price of an IME

Four things move the number. First, the examiner's specialty: an orthopaedic surgeon and a family physician do not charge the same rate. Second, the volume of records, because review time is billed. Third, the report type, since a written opinion takes longer than a factual summary. Fourth, urgency, because a rush booking displaces other work.

## What the published guides say

A standard specialist IME in British Columbia usually runs $3,000 to $6,000. A psychiatric or neurological IME runs $4,000 to $8,000 or more. The Doctors of BC fee guide for uninsured services recommends $2,165 for a medico-legal opinion report and $1,294 for a simple factual report. In the United States, the SEAK 2024 survey of more than 325 providers put the average charge at $2,890 USD, against about 6.5 hours of examiner time.

## Why the coordination fee is separate

The examiner's fee is not the whole cost. Somebody collects the records, books the appointment, chases the report, and invoices the payer. In the United States, physicians report that intermediaries keep 50 to 60 percent of the payer-facing fee. Canadian splits are not published. Ask any vendor to itemize the two parts.

## This is an estimate, not a quote

Fee guides are recommendations. Real prices depend on the examiner, the panel, and the contract. Use this figure to set a budget and to sanity-check an invoice. Get a written quote before you commit.

## Questions people ask

### How much does an IME cost in British Columbia?

A standard specialist IME usually costs $3,000 to $6,000. A psychiatric or neurological IME usually costs $4,000 to $8,000 or more. A general practitioner report costs $200 to $800. Source: a BC legal directory guide written for WorkSafeBC appeals, which is consistent with the Doctors of BC fee guide.

### Who pays for an independent medical examination?

The party that orders it. That is usually the insurer, the employer, or the law firm. The examinee does not pay.

### Is a file review cheaper than an examination?

Yes. A file review has no appointment and no physical examination, so it costs a fraction of a full IME. It also cannot answer every question.

### What is a no-show fee?

A charge for a missed appointment or a late cancellation. The SEAK 2024 survey put the average at $955 USD. New York State's procurement schedule caps it at $500 USD for a cancellation inside 48 hours.

### Does this tool send my inputs anywhere?

No. It runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is stored.