IMEs

[lejeunesage]

I have an offer by a company to do IMEs. Wondering if any of you has any recent experience.
The offered rate is

Disability IME $770.00 each. Auto IME: $800 each.
Includes 250 pages of medical record review, exam, and dictated report.
Additional time per 250 pages: $350 per inch

Liability IME: $500/hr.

Are these rates fair, good, below average?
According to SEAK, the average PM&R IME charge is $2K.

Looks like with this model, my ability to make this average would depend on the size of each file. Thoughts?

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[PMR2008]

Horrible rates.$1500/IME should be base. I can complete the IME and all notes within 1 1/2 hr or less. I am CIME.

 

[lejeunesage]

Horrible rates.$1500/IME should be base. I can complete the IME and all notes within 1 1/2 hr or less. I am CIME.

Thank you! That's what I was thinking!
I had seen some data from SEAK but I wasn't sure how reliable it was.
Do you advise going through ABIME or through SEAK for training?

 

[PMR2008]

ABIME

 

[Bostonspine]

Horrible rates.$1500/IME should be base. I can complete the IME and all notes within 1 1/2 hr or less. I am CIME.

That is also my rate… charge extra after 1 inch or 250pages at hourly rate extra for addendums with additional records… extra for Video footage or chart review…. Do a good job build you brand and the referrals will take care of themselves… I use a third party in my state so they probably charge $2500-3000 for my service but it’s my side gig and they take care of everything… some people hire staff to collect records transcribe and other task and contract directly… they should charge more than I do as my fee does not include overhead

 

[lejeunesage]

Thank you!
How did you get your certification? ABIME as well?

 

[DMBandFan86]

I’ve never had interest in this, but holy smokes $$$. Should I just quit my job now or what. People are making 1500 a day covering rehab units, albeit a bit low.

 

[RangerBob]

I’ve never had interest in this, but holy smokes $$$. Should I just quit my job now or what. People are making 1500 a day covering rehab units, albeit a bit low.

My thoughts as well!

From reading posts in the forum here the past few years, it sounds like I should really be doing more SNF work and IMEs. More money per unit of time worked, less stress, les/no call.

I feel busy enough with just inpatient, but diversifying wouldn’t be a bad thing so I’ve always got a backup. Might need to look into IMEs…

 

[lejeunesage]

My thoughts as well!

From reading posts in the forum here the past few years, it sounds like I should really be doing more SNF work and IMEs. More money per unit of time worked, less stress, les/no call.

I feel busy enough with just inpatient, but diversifying wouldn’t be a bad thing so I’ve always got a backup. Might need to look into IMEs…

From my understanding, this works better as a supplemental income than a main job. It's hard to have enough business to survive on Medical-Legal alone. But it's not a bad way to supplement IPR or SNF income.

 

[PMR2008]

I know docs that do med legal as primary income but usually at the end of career. I started doing it right out of fellowship. I say no to a lot of work now. But will ramp up as I get closer to retirement around 55 or so. It is a very nice supplement to my primary SNF income. I do 2-3 IME's, 1 life care plan and 4-5 hours of expert witness a month. Total time spent about 12 hours. Easily make $750-$1000 average/hour. 150k/year. I know docs making 7 figures just doing that. The issue is attorneys will look down on docs who primarily do med legal unless the credentials are bulletproof (ortho, chair of department, national expert, extremity well published etc.) I am none of those.
You could not pay me enough to take call or work weekends ever.

 

[painballer27]

Someone on here once said they knew an ortho doc that would do 30 a day 3 days a week at $900 each...

 

[PMR2008]

That’s impossible. Maybe 30 a week.

 

[TheGreatestTrochanter]

What's the path to doing IME? Get certified, then where do you find clients?

 

[PMR2008]

meet attorneys. Go to local trial/personal injury attorney events. Do lunch and learns. You have to market yourself in a very personal and professional way.

 

[Iamnew2]

I have an offer by a company to do IMEs. Wondering if any of you has any recent experience.
The offered rate is

Disability IME $770.00 each. Auto IME: $800 each.
Includes 250 pages of medical record review, exam, and dictated report.
Additional time per 250 pages: $350 per inch

Liability IME: $500/hr.

Are these rates fair, good, below average?
According to SEAK, the average PM&R IME charge is $2K.

Looks like with this model, my ability to make this average would depend on the size of each file. Thoughts?

How did you find this type of opportunity? I would also like to get involved in medico legal work but I guess hard to get experience and certainly work so just curious.

 

[PMR2008]

Talk to your local personal injury attorneys. Take them out to dinner or setup a quick office visit. Discuss your credentials. They will send you work if you are presentable, articulate, confident and have good credentials. Start off with basic chart review and medical expert work. Once the word spreads the attorneys will talk to each other. Do not market your service online.