by Christopher R. Brigham, MD
The Sixth Edition process involved many participants. The
process was guided by an Editorial Panel and an Advisory
Committee, and featured an open, well-defined, and tiered,
peer review process. The Editorial Panel was established to
include a Medical Editor (Robert Rondinelli, MD), five Section
Editors, and four core physician experts. The editorial process used an evidence-based
foundation when possible, primarily as the basis for
determining diagnostic criteria, and a consensus based approach
to the impairment ratings
themselves. When there was not a compelling rationale to alter
impairment ratings from what they had been previously,
consistency of the ratings with those provided in prior
editions was the default. The Section Editors led a group of
53 specialty-specific, expert contributors in developing the
chapters and in conjunction with the Senior Contributing
Editor wrote considerable portions of the revised chapters.
The review process involved over 140 physicians, attorneys and
other professionals.
An Advisory Committee was developed to provide ongoing
discussion of items of mutual concern and current issues in
impairment and disability. The group is comprised of numerous
representatives from medical specialty societies and experts
from certification and teaching organizations and workers'
compensation systems. The primary objectives of the Advisory
Committee were:
- Serve as a resource to the Guides Editorial Panel
by giving advice on impairment rating as relevant to the
member's specialty.
- Provide documentation to staff and the Editorial Panel
regarding the medical appropriateness of changes under
consideration for inclusion in the Guides.
- Assist in the review and further development of relevant
impairment issues and in the preparation of technical
education material and articles pertaining to the
Guides.
- Promote and educate its membership on the use and
benefits of the Guides.
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AMA Guides: 101 Webinar Series
AMA Guides, 5th Edition: 101 Webinar
Series
(Series Currently In Progress)
Hundreds of people have already taken this web-based series
on the Guides, 5th Edition. This is a great course for
novice impairment raters or as a refresher. The Fundamentals
is an overview on the use of the AMA Guides, 5th
Edition, with a focus on principles of impairment evaluation,
and assessment of spine, upper extremity, lower extremity,
neurological, and pain impairments.
The seminar is offered in four convenient two hour
sessions, totaling eight hours of superb training. This
seminar is designed for physicians, attorneys, and claims
staff with minimal or no experience in the use of the
Guides. It is also an excellent review for individuals
who may have attended an introductory course and desire
further review and clarification. Most individuals require two
to three learning experiences to grasp the complexities of
impairment evaluation.
At the conclusion of these Guides Webinars you will
be able to:
- Demonstrate the appropriate use of the AMA Guides to
the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 5th Edition in
assessing musculoskeletal, neurological and pain impairment.
- Explain how to review an impairment evaluation report to
determine if the rating is accurate or not.
- Describe specific claims and legal strategies to manage
erroneous ratings.
The schedule for this series is
as follows:
Past Session:
- Wednesday, May 7th, 2:00-4:00 p.m. PST
Overview,
Lower Extremity
Remaining Sessions:
- Wednesday, May 14th, 2:00-4:00 p.m. PST
Upper
Extremity
- Wednesday, May 21st, 2:00-4:00 p.m. PST
Spine
- Wednesday, May 28th, 2:00-4:00 p.m. PST
Other
Chapters & Strategies
For Registration Details
lick
Here
__________________________________________
Low Cost Solution To Ensuring
Accurate Impairment
Ratings
Our Impairment Screen is a low-cost screening
of a permanent impairment report to determine if the permanent
impairment rating is correct. We highly recommend the review
of all impairment rating reports.
This is a very cost effective screening method of
determining if an impairment evaluation was correct or not. It
is applicable to anyone who wants to determine if a rating is
reliable, i.e. clients include claims professionals, attorneys
(defense and plaintiff), and physicians. This screening report
presents our conclusions in this case, however does not
include the narrative discussion and explanations provided in
our standard Rating Review reports. (For cases where the
report is used to be used for feedback to the original rating
physician, evidence in the case, to prepare for
cross-examination, or negotiations we recommend our standard
reports.)
For the month of May we are offering a modest fee of $95
for a routine "Impairment Screen" (correct or incorrect). The
standard fee is $95 for correct and $195 for incorrect. This
low-cost option is most useful for screening purposes and
internal case management. After your review of the Rating
Screen we can provide a detailed narrative report at an
additional charge.
This screening service is restricted to impairment
assessment (without analysis of causation, apportionment or
disability rating), to the review of a single impairment
evaluation report, less than 30 pages of records, the
assessment of two body regions or less, and excludes complex
cases (such as hand impairment assessment, medical and
psychological issues).
Our time frame is 5 working days for most reviews although
complex or lengthy cases may require additional time. Rush
reviews are available in less than 5 working days at an
additional fee.
Use our easy online referral www.impairment.com/referral
- once registered make a referral in less than a minute.
