Medical specialties
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Independent Medical Examinations
A physiatrist maps what the body can still do and what recovery remains. IMECore lines up the treatment history so the function opinion rests on records.
The problem
Everyone agrees there was an injury and nobody agrees on function
Treatment notes describe pain. The employer needs capacities. The insurer needs an end date for rehabilitation. The records arrive as a single unsorted file.
- Two years of physiotherapy notes arrive with no discharge summary.
- The restrictions letter contradicts the last functional test.
- Nobody can say whether further rehabilitation would change anything.
What changes
What IMECore does about it
Function measured, not guessed
The physiatrist tests strength, endurance, and tolerance directly, then writes restrictions that match what was measured in the room.
The treatment history, sorted
Physiotherapy, occupational therapy, injections, and medications arrive in order with dates, so the opinion shows what helped and what did not.
Rehabilitation with an end date
The report says what further treatment is indicated, for how long, and what improvement it can reasonably be expected to produce.
FAQ
Questions people ask
What is physiatry in an IME context?
Physical medicine and rehabilitation: the specialty of function after injury or illness. The physiatrist assesses what the body can do, what treatment remains useful, and what restrictions apply.
What should an examinee expect?
A review of the injury and every treatment tried since, then testing of movement, strength, and activity tolerance. Bring the current medication list.
What can this specialty not answer?
It cannot diagnose a primary psychiatric disorder, or rule on surgical indication as a surgeon would. It also cannot assign a legal disability percentage the referral did not ask for. Those questions belong to psychiatry, orthopaedic surgery, or the decision-maker on the claim.
How is this different from an orthopaedic examination?
The surgeon answers what is structurally wrong and whether to operate. The physiatrist answers what the person can do now and what rehabilitation changes that. Many files need both.
Keep reading
Related pages
- Claim type
Catastrophic impairment
We coordinate the examinations and deliver a report with a finding on each catastrophic criterion your file names.
Read - Claim type
Long-term disability
We coordinate the examination and deliver a report that tests job demands, duration, and restrictions, so the file can move.
Read - Claim type
Auto and accident benefits
We coordinate the examination and deliver the records and a report that answers each question the referral asked.
Read - Specialty
Orthopaedic Surgery
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.
Read
Refer a case, get back a signed report
Send the referral and the questions. A coordinator confirms the file and what it still needs, then IMECore coordinates the examination and delivers a signed report.