Taylor Trusky ,left, and Ryan Tilley ,right, of Pond Lehocky Giordano. Courtesy photos Insurers Are Misusing IMEs to Prematurely Cut Off Injured Workers' Benefits
Employers and insurers are requesting workers submit to "independent" medical examinations (IMEs) performed by employer-selected physicians within the 90-day period before a temporary bureau document converts, and are then pursuing an inappropriate remedy—issuing a denial of the claim outright when a worker does not attend an IME or issuing a denial based on the IME physician's full recovery opinion.
November 08, 2024 at 11:00 AM
7 minute read
Special Sections
We, along with our colleagues both at our firm and across the Pennsylvania workers' compensation claimants' bar, have seen a concerning trend emerge among employers and their workers' compensation insurance carriers. Exploiting ambiguity in the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act (the act), employers and insurers are requesting workers submit to "independent" medical examinations (IMEs) performed by employer-selected physicians within the 90-day period before a temporary bureau document converts, and are then pursuing an inappropriate remedy—issuing a denial of the claim outright when a worker does not attend an IME or issuing a denial based on the IME physician's full recovery opinion.
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