...Craig Uejo, MD, MPH; Phil Walker A 2005 Benefits Review Board decision by the US Department of Labor, Peter J. Desjardins vs Bath Iron Works Corporation affirmed a decision and order (2004-LHC-1364) regarding the utility of impairment rating critique. The administrative law judge credited...

... on pain and used the upper extremity chapters in the AMA Guides . The impairment ratings determined using either the nervous system or upper extremity chapters of the AMA Guides resulted in almost the same rating (9% vs 8% upper extremity impairment), and either value converted to 5% whole person...

... was a concern voiced about the AMA Guides . The sixth edition has sought to remedy this issue by adopting the ICF model and including function as an area requiring assessment. The patient's level of function is graded and applied to the final impairment rating. As the different versions (2021, 2022, 2023...

... radiculopathy. In the sixth edition of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides) , this distinction determines what row in the spine tables is used to rate impairment. Failure to discern between nonverifiable radicular complaints and true radiculopathy is a source of frequent errors...

...Christopher R. Brigham, MD; Charles N. Brooks, MD; James B. Talmage, MD Impairment evaluations not performed following processes defined in the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides) usually result in erroneous ratings. Common lower extremity impairment rating (IR) errors...

...James B. Talmage, MD; Christopher Brigham, MD Impairment evaluations not performed following processes defined in the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides) will result in erroneous ratings. Common errors in impairment rating (IR) for upper extremity are frequently seen...

...”) as seen in an audiogram of a person who has noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). You are also correct regarding the hearing loss caused by aging (presbycusis). However, three points need to be made regarding impairment ratings using the AMA Guides . First, the AMA Guides measures impairment irrespective...

...J. Mark Melhorn, MD A request for an impairment rating using both the fourth and sixth editions of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ) demonstrated two interesting facts: In the sixth edition, Table 15-34, Shoulder Range of Motion has two typographical errors...

... interests of those who are injured or ill. The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ), Fifth Edition, was introduced in California in 2005 to improve the reliability of permanent disability award ratings, which previously were based primarily on subjective factors. The result...

... Accurate pulmonary impairment ratings depend on a valid and reliable lung function test and appropriate application of the criteria provided in the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ), Sixth Edition. The two lung function tests are dynamic and static; the principal...

... Medical Association. All Rights Reserved. 2016 American Medical Association Accurate pulmonary impairment ratings are dependent on a valid and reliable lung function test and appropriate application of the criteria provided in the AMA Guides. There are 2 lung function tests: dynamic and static...

... impairment ratings of 1–3%. Instructions on page 563, in the third paragraph under “General Considerations,” state that for these diagnoses, the only grade modifier used is functional history, as by definition there are no correlating physical exam or clinical study findings. TABLE 17-4. Lumbar Spine...

...Luann Haley, JD The method for rating impairments for lumbar spine injuries has evolved over time and has changed with each edition of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ). The AMA Guides, Sixth Edition, uses a diagnosis-based impairment rating system...

... Regional Grid: Spine Impairments. (From AMA Guides , Sixth, page 570.) CLASS CLASS 0 CLASS 1 CLASS 2 CLASS 3 CLASS 4 IMPAIRMENT RATING (WPI %) 0 1% - 9% 10 - 14% 15% - 24% UE 25% - 33% UE SOFT TISSUE AND NON-SPECIFIC CONDITIONS Non-specific chronic, or chronic recurrent low back...

...Richard T. Katz, MD This article addresses some criticisms of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ) by comparing previously published outcome data from a group of complete spinal cord injury (SCI) persons with impairment ratings for a corresponding level of injury...

... to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ( AMA Guides ), Fifth Edition, portion of the 2005 Permanent Disability Rating Schedule is rebuttable. The effects of this decision are significant for California and could catalyze challenges regarding use of the AMA Guides in other jurisdictions. Unavoidable consequences...

... with disability, and, as noted in the sixth and previous editions of the AMA Guides, no direct correlation exists between impairment and work restrictions or loss of earning capacity. An impairment rating does not directly equate to a permanent disability rating and does not solely determine compensation. The AMA...

... examination exists for carpal tunnel syndrome, and, in the impairment rating assessment, the physical examination focuses on detecting signs of permanent nerve damage (decreased sensation and thenar weakness on opposition). According to the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, ( AMA Guides...

... be established and/or rated. “An impairment is considered permanent when it has reached maximum medical improvement (MMI), meaning it is well stabilized and unlikely to change substantially in the next year with or without medical treatment” (5th ed, 2). Examiners should note that the concept...

...James B. Talmage, MD This article continues the discussion from the previous issue regarding common impairment rating scenarios for individuals who have had back surgery: Scenario 6) What is the impairment rating for an individual who has had a spinal fusion operation? 7) What is the impairment...