A woman who was injured on the job in Illinois called me with a question. She has a lawyer already, but wasn’t satisfied with what he was telling her. She is being sent for an independent medical exam (IME) and wanted to know what the guidelines were for going to that exam. It seems she was told be a friend that there’s a “book” that guides you on what to do and not to at an IME.

There is no such book that I know of and if it exists it would be a short story because there is not a huge amount of information that you need. It is worthy of a blog post, so here are things you should know, in no particular order, if going to an IME as part of a work comp case.

  • Under Illinois law, they have to pay your travel expenses ahead of time. This is to and from the IME. It’s based on mileage laws. For 2025 that is set at .70 a mile.
  • If your doctor says you can’t safely drive due to your injury and you don’t have a ride, the insurance company might have to pay for an Uber or other service.
  • The IME is not your doctor. So there is no HIPAA, no patient confidentiality and no care given. They aren’t looking out for you.
  • The IME might start before you realize it. It’s not uncommon for a nurse to observe you in the parking lot. If you are walking fine in the parking lot, but with a bad limp in the office, that will probably be in their report.
  • The exam itself often lasts less than five minutes. They might do a couple of tests, but often rely on medical records in making their assessments.
  • You should not embellish in any way.
  • Don’t be rude. At worst be cordial.
  • You should answer questions, but not blab. If they ask about the pain in your back on a scale of 1-10, you can say 6 (or whatever it is), but shouldn’t say something like “It’s a six. But sometimes worse. I picked up my grandson the other day and I was in a lot of pain.” That seems like an innocent comment, but could be grounds for them saying you did an activity you shouldn’t or had a new accident.
  • The report will often be written before they see you and often won’t help your case. If it does it might never actually get written. If it is in favor of the insurance company it is usually provided within 1-2 weeks.
  • The insurance company does not get unlimited IME’s. If their doctor is against them and agrees with your doctor, they lose on that issue and can’t force another one. On the other hand, if there is a new issue to address, that can result in a new IME.
  • Just be honest. The people that screw up their case with an IME are the ones who try to outsmart it. You can’t stop a hack from being a hack. Just tell the truth and go from there. Most Arbitrators know who the hired gun IME doctors are. If your doctor is credible you’ll win in the end.
  • Be clean. Be on time.Wear comfortable clothes.
  • Don’t try to record it. That makes you look difficult and crazy.

That is honestly about it. It isn’t rocket science. Your lawyer should prepare you, but there is not much more to it than this list. If there is something you have a question on that we haven’t addressed, you should ask your attorney if you have one. If you don’t have one or want a new one that will answer questions, you can call us any time at 312-346-5578.