The Impairment Rating – An Objective Indicator of Functional Ability
Serious injuries can happen anytime and anywhere. On the motorway, while performing work duties, or even at home. If the injury sustained is serious, these accidents may lead to legal or insurance claims. However, getting the person who was injured and the insurance company to agree on the magnitude of the injury is near impossible.
When these serious accident or injuries happen, there are often more questions than answers. How bad is the injury? How long will it take to heal? How will this affect the ability to work? Will this lead to a permanent disability? Is there a way to qualify for financial help?
Fortunately, the answers to these questions can come through working with a qualified medical professional. One such type of test, an independent medical exam (IME), allows the medical professional to evaluate what happened and identifies injury. Another type an evaluator might perform is called a Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE). In this physical examination, the injured person will perform different tasks to test their ability to perform normal daily activities. This allows the medical professional to evaluate the injured person’s capability to perform work related tasks. Both of these assessments evaluate whether or not the patient has an impairment – a problem that affects the body’s function and makes the patient unable to use their body as they did before the injury. These tests might include evaluation of range of motion, strength, ability to balance, lifting, and more.
There are a wide range of impairment types. Some might not be as concerning as others. One important distinction is whether or not the impairment is temporary or permanent. Impairments classified as temporary do not have the same bearing as a permanent classification. For those who have a permanent impairment, they are subject to receive an impairment rating.
An impairment rating quantifies the injury and scales the impairment’s severity. This rating is determined by a medical professional in an Impairment Rating Evaluation (IRE) and takes place after the patient has reached their maximum medical improvement. The impairment is quantified as a percentage between 0 and 100. This rating acts as one of the most important pieces of information in a benefit claim to keep receiving financial aid. The results of the IRE appointment will help the injured person’s attorneys determine how long a person will receive benefits, the amount of benefits they will receive, and whether they are expected to be able to return to work. It carries immense weight in the determination of the extent of financial aid the injured may have entitlement to.
The key personnel in these cases is the medical professional. Disagreements often arise between an injured person and an employer or insurance agent. Patients generally want the most compensation they can receive while employers or insurance agents may downplay the injury to avoid paying out extended benefits. While most people are honest about injuries, insurance fraud and mislabeling are concerning. Medical professionals act as the unbiased evaluator on the extent of the injury. Again, the amount of compensation the patient receives depends highly on the impairment rating.
The biggest help in an effective impairment evaluation is a medical professional’s own expertise and experience. The next biggest help is proper and professional evaluation tools. The right tools aid a medical professional in turning subjective data concerning a patient’s injury into objective and measurable information– data that now proves use in helping clients receive the proper amount of compensation. JTECH Medical provides several robust computerized functional testing system options. JTECH’s Occupational Medicine Testing Systems offer all of the essential Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) testing equipment to objectively assess, document, and track a subject’s physical abilities. The same systems also contain all the instruments to perform an effective IME evaluation. After using the instruments, our advanced software easily generates narrative and graphical reports showing a summary, details, and history of each test. These reports will then help you generate impairment ratings based on the American Medical Association (AMA) guides. Your personal expertise paired with JTECH Medical equipment smooths out what can be very complex evaluations.
Together, we can elevate the patient’s path toward recovery and wellness.