# Catastrophic impairment assessments tested against the SABS criteria

> We coordinate the examinations and deliver a report with a finding on each catastrophic criterion your file names.

Source: https://imecore.com/use-cases/catastrophic-impairment

## The file is thick. Nobody has tested it against the criteria.

A CAT referral asks whether the person meets the SABS catastrophic definition. The brief is a hospital dump plus rehab notes with no Glasgow score pulled forward. The examiner hunts for the criteria in hundreds of pages, and the report discusses disability in general instead of the test that pays.

- Acute-care scores are buried and never listed on the file.
- Physiatry, neurology, and psychiatry opinions are not sequenced.
- The report talks about impairment and never applies the SABS test.
- Plaintiff and insurer CAT files use different question lists on the same desk.
- The specialist wait blows the date the benefits decision needed.

## What IMECore does about it

### Your CAT questions run the file

Tell us which catastrophic criteria to test. Those tests stay visible from referral through review.

### Acute care, rehab, and neuropsychology in order

We collect hospital records, Glasgow documentation, rehab, and neuropsychological testing by source and date, and show the gaps before booking.

### Specialties sequenced to the tests

Physiatry, neurology, or psychiatry booked against the criteria, not against whoever had a slot.

### A report that applies the test

Each criterion you named gets a finding. A general disability narrative does not leave our review.

### A date the benefits decision can use

Psychiatric and neurological diaries run long. You see the committed report date from the day you refer.

### A trail for the dispute that follows

CAT files are fought. You get the records index, the criteria list, and the audit log with the report.

## How it runs

1. **Name the criteria when you refer.** Send the accident date, the SABS CAT questions, and which tests to apply.
2. **We pull acute care before booking.** We request hospital records, Glasgow documentation, rehab notes, and neuropsychological testing.
3. **We book the specialties the tests need.** Physiatry, neurology, or psychiatry matched to the criteria, with the report date set.
4. **You get findings per criterion.** Each named SABS test answered, then the report and the index released.

## Numbers worth knowing

| Figure | What it measures | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $4,000–$8,000+ | Typical BC psychiatric or neurological IME cost | lawyerinfo.ca, BC WCAT guide |
| 2–6 months | Typical wait to book a BC specialist IME | lawyerinfo.ca, BC WCAT guide |
| 4–8 weeks | Typical wait for the report after the exam in BC | lawyerinfo.ca, BC WCAT guide |

## Questions people ask

### Is catastrophic impairment only an Ontario SABS issue?

The CAT designation in this page means the Ontario SABS catastrophic definition, overseen by FSRA. Other provinces have serious-impairment questions, but they are not the same test.

### Which records decide a CAT file?

Acute-care notes, Glasgow documentation, rehab, imaging, and neuropsychological testing. A family-doctor chart alone will not meet the criteria questions.

### Who refers CAT assessments?

Accident-benefits insurers and plaintiff counsel. Defence counsel refer them when the CAT designation is in dispute.

### Do we need more than one specialty?

Often yes. Physiatry, neurology, and psychiatry answer different criteria. We put each on the same file so the record set is shared.

### Can we start with a file review?

Yes, to see whether the paper supports a CAT examination. A paper review cannot complete every SABS catastrophic test on its own.