If you take the time to prepare for the independent medical exam (IME), then you enhance your ability to protect your personal injury case. You need to get ready for that examination, because the doctor that gets the opportunity to exam you will be someone that was chosen by the other party’s insurance company.

Steps to include in your preparation routine:

Pay attention to the time of the appointment. Make a point of showing up on time. If necessary, get clear directions, so that you do not lose time by searching for the designated location.

Take notes on aspects of your injury that you ought to bring to the doctor’s attention. For instance, record those activities that cause you to experience the greatest amount of pain. Write down the specifics about any treatment that managed to reduce the intensity of your pain, or any treatment that made it easier for you to move the affected body parts.

Actions to take during the examination:

Be careful about what you say. Refrain from suggesting that your injuries are due to a pre-existing condition, or due to a previous injury. Make it clear that you are in pain. Do not move in a way that would cause the doctor to think that you had not been injured to any great extent.

Do not hesitate to ask for an explanation, if you do not understand a question. Personal Injury Lawyer in Ottawa will ask you to limit the amount of information that you share with the doctor. Give clear answers, but do not add unnecessary facts.

Offer a description of your pain. Would you like it to a burning sensation, a piercing from a sharp object, a continuous aching, or a dull source of discomfort?

Expect the doctor to exam you and ask you questions. Do not agree to take any sort of diagnostic test. Do not agree to get examined by a second physician. Make note of the time that the doctor spends examining you. If you did not undergo a thorough examination, your lawyer could use that fact, when seeking to question the doctor’s assessment of your injuries.

Make note of any time when the examining physician speaks into a recorder. What question had the doctor asked, before using that recording device? What part of your body had been examined?

What can you expect to know about the results of that IME?

You might be asked to attend a second exam. If you receive such a request, then you can guess that the insurance company did not obtain any information that could throw doubt on what you have stated so far. On the other hand, you might learn that the examining doctor has claimed that you have recovered from your injuries.