"What's an AME?"

The difference that matters

The real trade-off

An AME's opinion is, as a practical matter, close to binding. Both sides chose the physician, so both sides have a hard time later arguing the physician was wrong. That cuts both ways.

When an AME is usually good for a worker: where the medical picture is strong and clear, where speed matters, where the alternative is a long panel fight, and where the agreed physician has a record of thorough, well-reasoned reports.

When it is usually not: where the medical picture is complicated or contested, where apportionment is the central issue, where the defense is pushing hard for a particular name, and — always — where nobody on your side actually knows the physician's work.

The single most important thing about an AME is that it depends entirely on knowing who the physician is. An unrepresented worker has no way to know, which is one reason the statute limits AMEs to represented workers.

And note: agreeing to an AME on one issue does not necessarily mean agreeing on all of them, and in a case with multiple specialties there may be more than one evaluator.

The QME route, briefly

Panel requests, specialty selection, and the strike process run on short deadlines, and missing one can cost you the choice of specialty entirely — which is frequently the most consequential decision in the medical development of the case.

How the QME process works, step by step.

Either way

Prepare for the examination. Bring a written list of every body part, every symptom, and what you cannot do at home, not just at work — several impairment methods are driven by activities of daily living.

Describe your limits accurately, including the good days.

Bring a certified interpreter if you need one — at the employer's expense, and never a family member. Your interpreter rights.

And read the report when it comes. What to check.