The Sea Crest Beach Hotel, Falmouth, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Saturday–Sunday, September 21-22, 2013
This is the most advanced training available on Independent Medical Evaluations (IMEs) and will be offered only once in 2013. Attendees will learn through lecture, case studies, questions and answers,demonstrations, and interactive learning how to distinguish themselves as independent medical evaluators. Physicians completing these intensive two days of training will raise the level of their IME work product, produce more valuable and defensible reports, and become “go-to” evaluators sought after by insurers, attorneys, brokers,and other clients. Physicians who are serious about improving their IME skills are encouraged to attend and participate in this advanced training. Tuition includes continental breakfast and lunch with faculty each day, a written critique of your CV, a written critique of one of your sample IME reports, and a detailed conference manual.
Independent Medical Examiners Will Learn by Attending:
• History Taking Recommendations for Complex Cases Including Those with Multiple Injuries
• Formulating and Communicating Defensible Opinions
• Causation and apportionment in-depth
• How to effectively use objective medical evidence
• How and when to use evidence-based medical literature
• How to effectively use diagnostic testing and explain the results thereof
• How to write a high quality IME report with bullet-proof opinions
• Effective use of timelines, tables, and charts in your reports
• Mechanism of injury
• Disability and Fitness for Duty
• How and when to use disability guidelines
• How to confidently deal with questions on ability to return to work, work capacity, and restrictions
• How to obtain and perform fitness for duty exams
• How to defend return to work opinions
• How to Effectively Deal with Attacks by Counsel during Cross-Examination
SCHEDULE
Day One (Saturday, September 21, 2013)
7:30–8:00 Continental Breakfast & Registration
8:00–8:15 Introduction The faculty introduces themselves.
8:15–9:00 Advanced History Taking
The faculty will discuss and demonstrate interviewing and history taking techniques in complex cases including those with multiple injuries and/or illnesses, as well as several dates of injury. Attendees will be encouraged to perfect their interviewing techniques, including asking the questions necessary to obtain a good understanding of the mechanism and magnitude of injury. Exercises and Case Studies. Questions & Answers
9:00–10:00 IME Causation In-Depth
The faculty will present causation analysis for both occupational and non-occupational injuries and illnesses.Attendees will learn the meaning of cause and effect, apportionment, and recurrence. They will also learn the differences between proximate, precipitating, and predisposing causes; as well as worsening, exacerbation, and aggravation. Attendees will be presented with illustrative case studies and exercises to bring these static concepts to life. Questions & Answers.
10:00–10:15 BREAK & NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY
10:15–12:00 IME Causation In-Depth (Continued)
Attendees will be presented with vexing causation issues to analyze and work through with the help of the faculty and fellow attendees. Examples will include symptoms vs. disease, arthritic changes and hip/knee replacements, and mechanisms of injury. Medical-Legal Demonstrations. Questions & Answers.
12:00–12:45 LUNCH (PROVIDED WITH FACULTY)
12:45–2:45 Effective Use of Objective Medical Evidence & Diagnostic Test Results
The faculty will present when and how to most effectively use objective medical evidence, results of diagnostic testing, medical literature, and disability guidelines. The faculty will explain and demonstrate the most effective and persuasive techniques for explaining and presenting the medical significance of objective medical evidence and diagnostic test results to a judge, fact finder, or jury. Use of normative values and medical literature will be demonstrated with case studies and exercises. Questions & Answers.
2:45–3:00 BREAK & NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY
3:00–4:00 Forming Defensible Opinions
The faculty will demonstrate, with the aid of examples, how to form opinions that are medically and legally supportable, defensible, and thereby credible. Medical-Legal Demonstration. Questions & Answers.
4:00–4:30 Ability to Work
The faculty will discuss and demonstrate what physicians should and should not say about ability to return to work, work capacity, disability, impairment, and restrictions. Medical-Legal Demonstrations. Questions & Answers.
4:30–5:00 Takeaways & Discussions
Concluding remarks will be followed by an open and frank give and take between the faculty and the attendees.
Day Two (Sunday, September 22, 2013)
6:30–7:00 Continental Breakfast
7:00–8:30 Mechanism of Injury
The faculty will present the mechanism of injury for the injuries that evaluators are most commonly faced with and will offer the attendees the tools, techniques, and literature to support a robust analysis of the mechanism of injury. Case Studies. Questions & Answers.
8:30–9:00 Fitness for Duty Exams
The faculty will present what IME physicians need to know about the legal and medical aspects of fitness for duty examinations, reports, and testimony. Medical-Legal Demonstrations. Questions & Answers.
9:00–9:15 BREAK & NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY
9:15–11:00 Writing Your IME Report
Attendees will learn best practices for IME report writing including formatting, documentation of records reviewed, qualifications of the examiner, history, physical examination, expressing defensible opinions, and avoiding mistakes. Medical-Legal Demonstrations. Questions & Answers.
11:00–12:00 Dealing Effectively with the Attacks of Counsel
The faculty will explain attacks that IME physicians can expect to face including those on your impartiality, bias, finances, credibility, credentials, and medical opinions. Techniques for successfully dealing with these attempts to destroy you will be explained and demonstrated. Questions & Answers.
12:00–12:45 LUNCH (PROVIDED WITH FACULTY)
12:45–1:45 Building Your IME Brand and Becoming a “Go-To” IME Physician
Faculty will explain and demonstrate with examples how attendees can build their brand, image, credibility, and reputation. The attendees will be presented with ten techniques for becoming a sought after “go-to” IME physician who works on complex, interesting, and lucrative IMEs. Questions & Answers.
1:45–2:15 Defending Return to Work Decisions
Faculty, through demonstrations, will illustrate how to defend physical capacity and activity decisions under rigorous cross-examination. Faculty will also discuss questions about liability of physicians for workers who get re-injured when returned to work. Questions & Answers.
2:15–2:30 Takeaways, Conclusions, Evaluation
The faculty will review key points and open the floor for a free flowing discussion of the issues covered in the two-day training session. Questions & Answers.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER