... on this knowledge, the physician will then apply the processes and criteria provided in specific chapters. All impairment rating reports should be divided into three main sections: clinical evaluation, analysis of the findings, and discussion. To obtain the highest level of competency, the rating physician should...

.... An evaluator's impairment evaluation report should clearly document the rater's review of prior medical and treatment records, clinical evaluation, analysis of the findings, and a discussion of how the final impairment rating was calculated. The resulting report is the rating physician's expert testimony to help...

...Christopher R. Brigham, MD An impairment evaluation aims to produce a report that is clear and consistent with the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ), Fourth Edition, which outlines the three-step process of medical evaluation, analysis of the findings...

.... □ □ □ Analysis of the Findings 1. An explanation of the impact of the medical condition(s) on life activities should be given. □ □ □ a. The types of activities affected should be listed. □ □ □ 2. The medical basis for concluding that the condition has or has not become...

... presentation has reached a point of MMI. In Section 2.7b, Analysis of the Findings (6th ed, 28), the AMA Guides states, “Discuss (in their documentation) how specific findings relate to the conclusion of diagnoses and MMI status.” A review of medical records is the only credible method for determining...

... this in a cursory manner, often presenting their findings as an opinion. An established method of causation analysis using six steps is outlined in the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Guidelines and in the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Disease and Injury Causation, Second Edition...

... be excellent clinicians, but have difficulty correctly using the Guides . The answer depends on whether the physician has adequate clinical information. There are three steps involved in assessing impairment: medical evaluation, analysis of the findings, and comparison of the results of the analysis...

... extremity impairment and finally converts the final lower extremity impairment to whole person impairment. Two or more conditions often are found in the knees and require causation analysis in which the physician should choose the single causally related diagnosis that will yield the highest impairment...

... The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ) aims to provide “consistent and reliable acquisition, analysis, communication, and utilization of medical information through a single set of standards. Two physicians, following the methods of the [ AMA ] Guides to evaluate...

..., this requires correlation of often insensitive and nonspecific physical findings with imaging studies (X rays and MRI scans), and occasionally electrodiagnostic testing and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis may be needed to confirm the diagnosis. References 1. Montgomery DM , Rower RS...

..., but the tensile forces encountered in rear-end MVCs almost certainly do not cause rotator cuff tears de novo. Because rear-end collisions and RCTs are common and often involve claims or lawsuits, physicians may be asked to assess the causation of the RCTs. Treatment should be based on clinical findings...

... for the conditions in question; the mechanisms of injury or extent of exposures; prior and current symptoms, functional status, physical findings, and clinical study results; and use of the appropriate edition of the AMA Guides . Sometimes the available data are incomplete, requiring the rating physician to make...

... to Evaluation of Disease and Injury Causation (Melhorn & Ackerman): For example, these findings are directly relevant to the fourth step of the causation-analysis protocol, which calls for “determining if other risk factors provide a better explanation for the clinical presentation than that which...

...Robert J. Barth, PhD; Christopher R. Brigham, MD A rigorous scientific approach to causation analysis is essential. This analysis must be rooted in both reliable case facts and trustworthy science. A question about assessing the causation of meningioma following mild head trauma is used...

... medical records and other documentation. At the time of referral, the client is given the date and the time of the evaluation. Analysis of medical records is essential. Often, records provided by a client are disorganized or incomplete, and staff members can develop lists of records provided, identify...

...-analysis identified a number of risk factors for meniscal tears but motor vehicle collisions were not among them. 1 However, in a moderate- to high-speed frontal impact, foot-pedal or floorboard contact may result in longitudinal impaction on the lower limb, with compressive loads transmitted...

...%. Logistic regression analysis revealed that incidence of progression of PDP, DSN, FS was higher in elderly subjects. There were no correlations between any degenerative MR findings and sex, smoking, alcohol, sport, or body mass index. Neck pain, shoulder stiffness, and numbness in upper extremities were...

... to evaluate the case and then compare their results with the analysis. The author notes that the report does not discuss activities of daily living and does not report in detail the results of physical testing. Nor does the written report correctly explain how the rating was performed, with a detailed...

..., diagnosed maximum medical improvement, and, using the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ), assessed 11% whole person impairment. Readers are encouraged to use the materials presented to this point to prepare their own rating that they can compare with an analysis (published...

... recommendations are base rate neglect and confirmation bias. Before discussing these, a preliminary discussion of shoulder imaging and injury/pathology diagnosis is needed. The authors cannot find published research linking specific shoulder symptoms to specific shoulder disorders. Many doctors believe...