Something that's been bugging me about the IME process
I'm hoping someone can help me understand if I'm just being sensitive or if this is a real issue. I've been in construction for about twenty years and I got hurt on a job site upstate about six months ago when some scaffolding collapsed and I ended up with a broken leg and some damage to my hip. The insurance company sent me to their doctor for an IME a couple months back, and this guy spent maybe fifteen minutes with me, didn't look at any of my medical records from my own surgeon, and then wrote a report saying I was exaggerating my symptoms and could go back to full duty. I was still on crutches at the time. My own surgeon was furious when I told him. I've been thinking about this a lot lately and it really bothers me that these IME doctors get paid by the insurance company to examine you for fifteen minutes and their opinion somehow carries as much weight as the doctor who's been treating you for months and actually did your surgery. I've been looking for a construction accident workers compensation lawyer NY because I want to fight this report, but I'm also just curious if anyone else has had this experience where the IME doctor clearly didn't do a real exam and their report was just completely off base. How do you even fight something like that? Do judges actually take these reports seriously or do they see through them? I'm just frustrated that I'm still in pain and having trouble walking and some doctor who barely looked at me is saying I'm fine.