IMEs via telecommunication connect expert specialists to rural locations.
It’s no secret that we face a shortage of clinician providers who offer medical-legal services. In rural areas, this shortage is even greater. Considering today’s technology-driven environment, people are often used to convenience coupled with immediate results. With the Merit Medical Evaluations’ Telemedicine platform, we offer a way to connect our physician specialists with injured parties in rural areas who may not otherwise have convenient access to these specialists.
Addressing the misconception:
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a seismic shift in healthcare delivery, creating a rapid and substantial rise in telemedicine appointments. With social distancing measures and lockdowns enforced globally, the healthcare industry swiftly adapted to the virtual sphere, enabling patients to receive medical care from the comfort of their homes.
Merit’s T-IMEs employ the same technological advancements to the healthcare virtual sphere that exist today but from a conveniently located physical therapy clinic rather than the injured person’s home.
Our approach:
Merit first implemented T-IMEs in 2017 in collaboration with physicians, physical therapists, and software developers. This new take on IMEs via telecommunication connects expert specialists to rural locations in the region. In 2023, we expanded our T-IME locations to 5 locations outside of Omaha.
Because the exams take place at a partnering physical therapy clinic, the injured person will be physically present with a licensed, skilled physical therapist (PT) or occupational therapist (OT). The PT or OT will perform the physical portion of the exam under the direction of the remote physician. In some instances, multiple physicians can be assigned to address multiple parts of the body in a single visit.
On the day of the injured person’s scheduled appointment, they will arrive at the partnering physical therapy clinic. Clinic staff will provide the medical history questionnaire and other paperwork, take vital signs, and accompany them to the exam room.
The physician will attend the exam remotely using a high-performance camera and speakerphone system via HIPAA-compliant technology. As if physically in the exam room, the physician will speak with the injured person about their medical history, condition, and details about their symptoms. Under the physician’s direction, the PT or OT will perform the physical exam by assessing the claimant’s range of motion and strength, identifying Waddell’s signs, and evaluating any wounds.
The physician will address and answer any of the claimant’s questions or concerns during the examination appointment.
Additionally, the Telemedicine platform offers the capability for impairment ratings with one of our licensed physicians. These ratings establish the impairment (permanent vs. temporary) and level of disability (partial vs. total).
Our Telemedicine Locations
- Bridgeport, NE (Morrill County Community Hospital)
- Norfolk, NE (Jacobsen Therapy Services)
- North Platte, NE (Sandhills Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab)
- Omaha, NE (Merit Medical Evaluations)
- Mount Vernon, MO (SERC Physical Therapy)
- Saint Joseph, MO (SERC Physical Therapy)
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