• Home
  • Practice Areas
    • Personal Injury
      • Motor Vehicle Accidents
        • Car Accidents
        • Motorcycle Accidents
        • Texting-While-Driving
        • Bus & Pedestrian Accidents
      • Dog Bites
      • Premises Liability
      • Wrongful Death
    • Workers’ Compensation
      • What You Need To Know About Your Workplace Injury
      • Types Of Workers’ Compensation Claims
      • Third Party Liability
      • Workplace Accidents
        • Construction Site Accidents
        • Industrial Accidents
      • Types Of Injuries
        • Head Injuries
        • Repetitive Motion Injuries
        • Pre-Existing Conditions
    • Bad Faith Insurance
    • Class Action Lawsuits
  • Firm Overview
  • Attorneys
    • Bruce Stoltze
  • Blog
  • Contact
Stoltze & Stoltze, PLC

Stoltze & Stoltze, PLC

Des Moines Employment Attorney

Free Consultations

Evening and Weekend Appointments

CALL 515-244-1473 or Email Us

  • Personal Injury · Business Litigation · Work Injury - Call 515-244-1473
You are here: Home / Personal Injury & Work Injury & Employment Law Blog / Workers Compensation / Workers’ Compensation Independent Medical Exams

Workers’ Compensation Independent Medical Exams

Posted on July 27, 2018

Stoltze & Stoltze PLCIf you are injured at work or have developed a work related illness, your doctor will decide your course of treatment, when you can return to work, if you are disabled and to what extent. If your company’s insurance company disagrees with the treating doctor’s evaluation or requires further clarification, they may ask you to undergo an independent medical exam or IME.  If you are asked to undergo an IME, you should consider talking to a workers’ comp attorney to protect your rights.

IMEs are often conducted by doctors who routinely work for insurers so they may not be as impartial as they should be and, as a result, may minimize the extent of your injuries. Take steps to protect yourself:

It is important have an advocate present at your IME appointment such as a friend or family member who can document the experience from beginning to end by noting when and how long the examination takes, what questions are asked and what treatments are administered. The more detailed the better.

If the insurance adjuster reduces or denies your claim based on the IME doctor’s report, get a copy and use your notes to counter why the examination was unfair or inaccurate. Was it too brief? Did the doctor take into account your full medical history? How did the IME examination compare to the time your treating doctor spent to evaluate your injury or illness? Let the adjuster know that you have a witness to back up your version of the evaluation.  You may also ask your treating doctor or specialist to write a response to the report if the adjuster is using it to deny your claim.

If you’re unable to negotiate a fair settlement, it is time to discuss your case with an experienced workers’ compensation claim attorney. Often times, having an experienced Iowa workers’ compensation attorney will send a message to an adjuster that you mean business and that you are not going to settle for something less than fair and appropriate for your work related injury or illness.

Filed Under: Workers Compensation Tagged With: Des Moines Workers Compensation lawyer

Practice Areas

  • Personal Injury
  • Workers’ Compensation
  • Bad Faith Insurance
  • Class Action Lawsuits

Blog Categories

  • Age Discrimination (5)
  • Arbitration Agreements (1)
  • Car Accidents (53)
  • Child Custody (1)
  • Child Support (1)
  • Class Action (2)
  • Dog Bite (2)
  • Employment Law (24)
  • Family Law (1)
  • FMLA Denial & Retaliaiton (6)
  • Gender Discrimination (4)
  • Iowa Wage and Hour Law (3)
  • Marital Property Division (3)
  • Motorcycle Accidents (4)
  • Non-Compete Agreements (2)
  • Pedestrian Accidents (10)
  • Personal Injury (44)
  • Personal Injury (2)
  • Personal Injury & Work Injury & Employment Law Blog (7)
  • Personal Injury Settlement (3)
  • Premises Liability (6)
  • Product Liability (2)
  • Religious Discrimination (2)
  • Sex Discrimination (6)
  • Temporary Orders (1)
  • Third Party Injury (6)
  • Truck Accidents (11)
  • Whistle-blower Retaliation (1)
  • Work Related Stress Disorders (1)
  • Workers Compensation (68)
  • Workplace Discrimination (5)
  • Wrongful Death (18)
  • Wrongful Termination (7)

Contact Information

Stoltze & Stoltze, PLC
Personal Injury Lawyers

300 Walnut St, Suite 260
Des Moines, IA 50309

Phone: 515-244-1473
Fax: 515-244-3930

DIRECTIONS

stoltz-building

Stoltze & Stoltze America's Top 100 Attorneys Rated by Super Lawyers

The law firm of Stoltze & Stoltze, PLC, provides legal services to people in the cities of Des Moines, West Des Moines, Davenport, Ames, Waukee, Mason City, Cedar Rapids, Burlington and Fort Dodge, and Polk County, Warren County, Dallas County, Scott County, Story County, Cerro Gordo County, Linn County, Des Moines County and Webster County, Iowa.

© 2023 by Stoltze & Stoltze, PLC. All rights reserved · Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Sitemap · Return to Top

 

Loading Comments...