Has your attorney or insurance adjustor suggested that you meet with an independent medical professional for an evaluation? An independent medical professional is there to review your medical records and provide an independent perspective on your diagnosis and treatment. During this examination, there are a few rules you are going to want to keep in mind about how you handle yourself.
#1: Stay Truthful
During your examination, you are going to want to stick to the truth. Don't exaggerate your condition; tell it like it is. Being honest will help produce an evaluation where your credibility is not in question at all. Being dishonest will reduce the validity of your claim.
#2: Stay Consistent
During your independent medical examination, the doctor is going to be asking you questions about what happened. When they ask these questions, you want to ensure your answers are consistent with past information that you have shared with other medical professionals and in accident reports. The medical doctor is not just evaluating your condition; they evaluate your situation and make sure that what you have said is consistent.
#3: Stay on Topic
This is not the time to develop a friendship with a doctor. This is a one-time consultation. Avoid volunteering any information about your life or engaging in social or small talk conversation. Stick to the topic so that the doctor will have only the information needed for your examination. With an evaluation, the doctor gives an option on whatever medical issues you are disputing with your insurance provider. This doctor is not your treating physician, and in this situation, you do not have doctor-patient confidentiality.
#4: Be Clear About Prior Injuries
During your examination, the doctor may ask about prior injuries, especially prior injuries that happened to the same area of your body. It is common to try to link past injuries to your current injury, and you want to avoid having that happen. You are going to want to be clear about the difference between any old injury or current injury.
When having an independent medical examination, it is important to be truthful and consistent with what you have shared with your medical providers in the past. You will want to stay on topic and be clear about the difference between past injuries and your current injury. Remember, you don't have doctor-patient confidentiality with this doctor; they are there to evaluate your medical condition and treatment and give a second opinion.
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