Using a Nurse to attend DME
Another guest post from Karen Shelton a legal nurse consultant, who works with The Steinberg Law Firm.
When defense counsel schedules a defense medical examination for your client, consider sending a nurse-advocate along. Very often, her presence is just enough to encourage the evaluating physician to be open-minded about the client’s condition, causation, restrictions, future treatment, and impairment ratings. The nurse-advocate can also insure that all pertinent medical records are available to the physician. Plus you get first hand information about what the physician’s position will be. The nurse-advocate also can make sure the physician hears all the details that clients sometimes forget. There is a new specialty developing for nurses: DME Witness.
[Note from Dave: I prefer DME instead of IME. It is a Defense Medical Examination. There is nothing independent about it. We’ve already lost the battle, if we call it or allow it to be called Independent.] Thanks Karen.
Hi,
I am an independent LNC who has worked with defense attorneys in scheduling IMEs; I agree this could be a good alternative than the actual term IME, as I am able to ascertain the 'objectivity' of the examiner.
Pat Maloney, BSN, RN, Legal Nurse Consultant
