# A paper-only opinion for files that cannot wait for an examination

> The examiner reviews the records and delivers an opinion that says exactly what the paper supports, and what it does not.

Source: https://imecore.com/use-cases/file-review

## You asked for a file review and received an examination-shaped report

There is no appointment and no current presentation. Yet the report reads as if the examiner saw the person, or the examiner refuses to answer over one missing clinic note. Meanwhile a live examination can sit in a booking queue for months.

- Nobody lists what the examiner did not have.
- The opinion comments on effort without an examination.
- Duplicates hide the one missing operative report.
- The quote assumed an examination fee.
- Counsel wanted this while the in-person date is still months out.

## What IMECore does about it

### A file marked paper-only

Your review is set up as a Medical File Review from the start. The report carries no examination headings and no language that implies attendance.

### Gaps listed, not hidden

You get the sources that arrived and the sources that did not. The examiner answers against that list, or declines the question.

### Only questions paper can answer

Causation from the chart, consistency, and which records to request next. Never current effort, and never a physical finding.

### Records sorted before reading starts

Duplicates collapse and pages sort by provider and date, so the examiner's time goes to reading.

### Billed as a review, not an exam

Charges follow review time. No attendance means no no-show fee.

### Converts to an examination when one lands

Start with a review on the file and convert to a full examination later. The record set carries forward.

## How it runs

1. **Ask for a file review, not an examination.** Name the service type first. The questions and the fee follow that choice.
2. **We close the gaps we can.** We request the missing sources, and send the brief once the remaining gaps are ones you accept.
3. **We brief the examiner on paper limits.** The examiner gets your questions and the gap list. No appointment is offered.
4. **You get a report that reads like paper.** We strip any sentence that implies attendance, then release the report.

## Numbers worth knowing

| Figure | What it measures | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $122 / 15 min | Doctors of BC recommended physician record-review fee | Doctors of BC uninsured services guide, 2024 |
| $1,294 | Doctors of BC recommended fee for a simple factual medico-legal report | Doctors of BC uninsured services guide, 2024 |
| 2–6 months | Typical wait to book a BC specialist IME | lawyerinfo.ca, BC WCAT guide |

## Questions people ask

### When should we order a file review instead of an examination?

When the questions can be answered from paper, or when a specialist examination will not land in time. A file review cannot speak to current presentation or effort.

### Which claim types use file reviews?

Long-term disability, workers' compensation, and some med-legal files. Accident-benefits insurer examinations often still need an examination because the SABS question set asks about current function.

### What if a key record is missing?

We leave the gap on the file. The examiner can answer around it or decline that question. The gap is never hidden in the brief.

### Can we convert a file review into an examination later?

Yes. We open the examination on the same file. The record set and the questions carry forward.

### How is a file review billed?

By review time, not by an examination fee. There is no attendance and no no-show charge.