Rev. ed. of: Understanding the AMA guides in workers' compensation. 4th ed. / Steven Babitsky, James J. Mangraviti, Jr. 2008.

Understanding the AMA Guides in Workers' Compensation

The AMA established a guide for the rating of physical impairment of the various organ systems which provides clinically sound and reproducible criteria for rating permanent impairment. Contents include- impairment evaluation; records and reports; the musculoskeletal system; the nervous system; the respiratory system; the cardiovascular system; the hematopoietic system; the visual system; ear, nose, throat, and related structures; the digestive system; the urinary and reproductive systems; the endocrine system; the skin; mental and behavioral disorders; pain.

Features standardized assessment of activities of daily living (ADLs) and how the approach has evolved. This book contains sections that summarize each body system, and medical and legal tips that highlight and promote understanding of the impairment assessment methodology and its impairment ratings.

"This book is intended as a guide to help bridge the gap between occupational and non-occupational evidence based causation"--Fourni par l'éditeur.

The American Medical Association's "Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment" (or "AMA Guides") is mandated for use in many workers' compensation systems. The "AMA Guides" are now in their sixth edition, and various states are using either the third, fourth, fifth, or sixth edition of the "Guides." In easy-to-follow language, "Understanding the AMA Guides in Workers' Compensation"brings you up to speed with a review of essential concepts... complete coverage of the 4th, 5th, and 6th Edition of the " AMA Guides" ...and a focus on the key changes. "Understanding the AMA Guides in Workers' Compensation" delivers the concise, jargon-free information you need to prepare any case with confidence - and the courtroom-tested tactics to help you win it. Whether you're new to workers' compensation cases or a long-time practitioner, this expertise-filled resource will be an invaluable time and work-saving tool in every case involving the "AMA Guides." This resource is an arsenal of ready-to-use tools, techniques, and tips to help you build a better case from start to finish, including: Expert insight on how physicians should reach impairment ratings - and how to spot mistakes that may compromise up to 80% of all ratings, according to one studyCase-tested guidelines for using the "AMA Guides" to prepare client and physician testimonySample proofs that illustrate how permanent impairment can be established for various injuriesA cross-examination guide that shows how to pick apart an opposing physician's credibility, including word-for-word cross-examinations from real casesDozens of questions to confound opposing witnesses - including case-clinchers like "The Ten Most Difficult Cross-Examination Questions" Convenient digests of federal and state statutes and case law decisions that put a wealth of legal background at your fingertips "Understanding the AMA Guides in Workers' Compensation" has been updated to include coverage of: Which conditions are not adequately covered in each edition of the "AMA Guides"The level of compliance with the "AMA Guides" legally required of a rating physicianWhen rating physicians may deviate from the "Guides" and how to justify or challenge such deviations Which edition of the "AMA Guides" is legally required to be usedWhether the "AMA Guides" are admissible into evidence How to challenge the adoption of the" AMA Guides"What the courts find or do not find persuasive when ratings made under the "AMA Guides "are challenged How the "AMA Guides "relate to scheduled awardsHow to preserve the strongest record for appealWhen exactly a claimant is or is not at maximum medical improvement--for example, a claimant with a condition such as reflex sympathetic dystrophy, which may wax and wane over timeCan a claimant be evaluated for impairment even though he is not at maximum medical improvementWho is qualified to rate impairmentAnd more!

This second edition publication is an essential resource for health care professionals who need to make informed, evidence-based decisions that determine causation for injury and work-related conditions. Users are able to strengthen their opinion by linking clinical findings to a specific cause-whether related to the workplace, genetic makeup, a unique event or a combination of factors. Professionals can provide an informed opinion on workers' compensation or disability cases based on a careful review of an individual's clinical findings when linking (or not linking) the condition in question to medical evidence.