Services:
Impairment
Rating

Impairment Rating

Medical Legal Experts Inc. provides a comprehensive impairment rating compliant to specific State and Federal Laws utilizing the American Medical Association (AMA) guidelines.

The AMA Guides offer one system for measuring impairment, but the guidelines that are provided are not universally accepted and are based largely on consensus rather than scientific evidence. California has a system for measuring workers’ compensation impairment in which an individual’s functional capacity is rated in relation to a work category. However, there is legal debate as to what system should be used to rate outside of the Guides.

The Medical Legal Experts Inc. Functional Capacity Evaluation system only rates impairment within the AMA Guidelines and compares both anatomical loss and functional loss. Functional loss is derived from limitations in Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and reflects a true impairment for complex and extraordinary cases.

IMPAIRMENT RATINGS
The calculations for impairment ratings are unique to each and every injured worker. All calculations are performed by our FCE Board Certified Physicians.

Determining Impairment

Impairment is defined as the loss of, loss of use, or derangement of any body part, organ system or organ function. Impairment after an injury can cause reduced functional capacity, strength, and range of motion, and also a more limited ability to engage in activity and might necessitate assistive devices. Following a work injury that causes impairment, work restrictions are put in place for the injured worker. These restrictions might include special accommodations, such as ergonomic changes in the workplace, specialized equipment, changes to scheduling, or limiting physical work.

Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs) can objectively estimate an injured worker’s impairment. The FCE measures a patient’s tolerance for the work that is done in their workplace, and their endurance in those activities. Multiple FCEs can be done over time to measure improvement.

Medical Legal Experts Inc. incorporates multiple rating systems including International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICIDH-2) system, Social Security Administration (SSA) rating system, the International Classification of Disease (ICD-9) system as well as the AMA Guides to Evaluation of Permanent Impairment.

Medical Legal Experts Inc. has assisted in independent ratings at the appeals board level in Division of Workers’ Compensation.

AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment For basic evaluation of spine range of motion, three repetitions are required. If impairment evaluation data collected three, reps must fall within five degrees or ten percent or whichever is greater. Consistency must be met with six repetitions for valid measurements.

Functional Impairment Rating

Different Systems to Measure Impairment The AMA Guides offer one system for measuring impairment, but guidelines that are provided are not universally accepted and, in fact, are based largely on consensus rather than scientific evidence.

California has a system for measuring workers’ compensation impairment in which an individual’s functional capacity is rated in relation to a work category.

These categories have defined ranges of performance of various work-related tasks (e.g., lift/carry and stand/walk).

Medical Legal Experts physicians have received praises and acknowledgement, including a favorable opinion and high likelihood of selecting these physicians again.