...Christopher R. Brigham, MD The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ), Sixth Edition, takes approaches to the lower extremities that are consistent with Chapter 15, Upper Extremities (reviewed in the March/April 2008 issue of The Guides Newsletter ). Because...

...Lorne Direnfeld, MD; Christopher R. Brigham, MD; Elizabeth Genovese, MD, MBA The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ), does not provide a Diagnosis-based estimate of impairment due to syringomyelia, a disorder in which a cyst (syrinx), develops within the central...

...Arthur Ameis, BSC, MD; Christopher Brigham, MD; Robert J. Barth, PhD; Norma Leclair, PhD, RN; Steven Leclair, PhD Several Canadian provinces use the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ) to adjudicate workers’ compensation claims, and the Province of Ontario uses...

...Chris Brown, DDS, MPS Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TJD) is a term applied to a group of problems that affect the muscles of mastication, the temporomandibular joint, and their supporting structures. The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ), Fifth Edition...

...Kathryn Mueller, MD, MPH; Christopher R. Brigham, MD Chapter 11, Ear, Nose, Throat, and Related Structures of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ), Fifth Edition, includes a new section on voice impairment, a new table on vestibular disorders, and information...

...James B. Talmage, MD; Jay Blaisdell To assess medical impairments, the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ) divides cardiovascular diseases into the following eight groups, each of which has its own grid: valvular heart disease; coronary artery disease...

...Christopher R. Brigham, MD; James B. Talmage, MD; Marjorie Eskay-Auerbach, MD Impairment evaluation of the spine has evolved notably since the 1958 publication by the American Medical Association of an article titled A Guide to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment of the Extremities and Back...

... facts and current science, CMC joint subluxation is unrelated to work and instead is reflective of aging. The article concludes with a comparison of impairment ratings of CMC-related disability using the fifth and sixth editions of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, both of which...

...Stephen L. Demeter, MD, MPH The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ) does not specifically address how to rate heart transplants, but by applying principles used in rating similar illnesses, the evaluator can assess permanent impairment. The fourth and fifth editions...

...Craig Uejo, MD, MPH; Marjorie Eskay-Auerbach, MD, JD; Christopher R. Brigham, MD Evaluators who use the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ), Sixth Edition, should understand the significant changes that have occurred (as well as the Clarifications and Corrections...

...Christopher R. Brigham, MD, MMS; Craig Uejo, MD, MPH; J. Mark Melhorn, MD; James B. Talmage, MD In the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ), Sixth Edition, the chapter on the upper extremities is the longest and most complex, which reflects the complexities...

...Norma J. Leclair, RN, PhD, LCPC; Leclair Steven W., PhD, CRC; Christopher R. Brigham, MD According to the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ), motivation is a need or desire that causes a person to act and may be a key factor in an individual's physical or mental...

...Christopher R. Brigham, MD Chapter 17, The Lower Extremities, in the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ), Fifth Edition, continues to provide three means of assessing impairment: anatomic, diagnostic, and functional. Changes from the AMA Guides, Fourth Edition...

...Christopher R. Brigham, MD; Charles N. Brooks, MD Chapter 16, The Upper Extremities, in the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides), Fifth Edition, presents several changes from the Fourth Edition. The changes are minor compared to those in Chapter 15, The Spine...

...James B. Talmage, MD; Mohammed Ranavaya, MD The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ), Fifth Edition, uses approaches to respiratory system impairment rating that are similar to those of previous editions, with two significant changes: First, criteria for asthma...

...Christopher R. Brigham, MD Significant differences exist regarding spinal impairment rating among the Third Edition Revised, and the Fourth and Fifth Editions of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ). Table 1 summarizes the rating criteria used in these three...

...Robert H. Haralson, III, MD, MBA The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ), Fifth Edition, was published in November 2000 and contains major changes from its predecessor. In the Fourth Edition, all musculoskeletal evaluation and rating was described in a single chapter...

... physician. This list focuses on impairment and disability assessment, musculoskeletal and behavioral issues, and expert witness skills. There are certainly other resources that are valuable to the evaluator. If you have a favorite that is not included on this list, please let us know by emailing your...

...Christopher R. Brigham, MD Significant professional and legal difficulties and risks may be associated with the performance of impairment evaluations, particularly in the context of an independent medical evaluation (IME). Many IMEs occur in legal arenas and may involve individuals with challenging...

... of Permanent Impairment describes the process for evaluating impairment for dysphagia in Chapter 4, The Nervous System, Chapter 9, Ear, Nose, Throat, and Related Structures, and Chapter 10, The Digestive System. Section 9.3b, Mastication and Deglutition, includes information about the relationship of dietary...