Paper review
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.
The problem
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 changes
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
Four steps, start to finish
- 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.
Where the time goes
Numbers worth knowing before you buy
Published figures from fee schedules and industry surveys. Each carries its source.
- Doctors of BC recommended physician record-review fee
- $122 / 15 minDoctors of BC recommended physician record-review feeDoctors of BC uninsured services guide, 2024
- Doctors of BC recommended fee for a simple factual medico-legal report
- $1,294Doctors of BC recommended fee for a simple factual medico-legal reportDoctors of BC uninsured services guide, 2024
- Typical wait to book a BC specialist IME
- 2–6 monthsTypical wait to book a BC specialist IMElawyerinfo.ca, BC WCAT guide
Free tools
Try the calculation first
No account, no upload. These run in your browser.
- Free tool
Records review time estimator
Turn a page count into a review-time range and a cost. Handwriting, duplication, and complexity all change the answer.
Read - Free tool
Records gap finder
List each expected source and the dates you hold. See what is missing, what is short, and a letter to request it.
Read - Free tool
Medical chronology builder
Paste dated lines from any file. Get a sorted chronology with gaps and duplicates flagged.
Read
FAQ
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.
Keep reading
Related pages
- 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
Workers' compensation
We coordinate the examination and deliver a report in the board's language: work-relatedness, restrictions, and the rating the claim file needs.
Read - For teams
Examiner network
Referrals arrive in the examiner portal with sorted records and the questions beside the draft. You set availability. The coordination team handles records, scheduling, and review. Apply at /examiners/apply.
Read - Claim type
Addendum and rebuttal
New records or another expert's report get a short, linked opinion, not a rewrite of the original.
Read - Service
Medical File Review
A physician or psychologist answers the referral's questions from the records alone, with no examinee appointment. Insurers and counsel order one when the file is complete and the question is narrow, or when an examination cannot be booked in time. It cannot speak to current presentation the way an examination can.
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.