In the Loop – Vol. 27 | March 2026

QA Insights

Timing the IME Process:

The When & the What

Between processing briefs and handling urgent reports, there are a lot of time-sensitive stages to the IME process. I have designed this short guide to provide an overview of the timeline of an IME, to better plan your medico-legal assessment.

Booking

Many specialists are very sought-after, and are often booked out at least three months ahead of time. It’s my recommendation to book as early as possible to ensure you secure an appointment within your required timeframe.

Once you have secured an IME appointment, it’s wise to take note of important dates related to matter itself – that is, to consider timeframes between those important dates and the likely date of receiving the finalised report. Confirming the average turnaround time for your chosen specialist at the time of booking – and advising of any tight deadlines – can prevent potential stress down the track.

Briefing your specialist

The timeline for providing a brief to a specialist is very important. If you collate your brief too early, then you may miss out on important medical records, closer to the date of the IME. If you brief a specialist too late, there will not be enough time to process and read the brief prior to the appointment.

Aim to provide the brief between 1 and 3 weeks prior to the date of the IME. This ensures you have both provided the specialist with the most up-to-date information, whilst also allowing them sufficient time to review and become familiar with the brief prior to the IME itself.

Preparing the claimant / examinee

The medico-legal process can be overwhelming for some claimants. To ensure that they are prepared, advise them of the location, date, and time of the appointment at least one week before the IME, preferably two. Ensure that they have returned any required forms by this time. If the claimant will be attending this appointment by video conference, you can assist them to test their equipment and video link, and to confirm the private, indoor location from which they will attend their video link IME.

If you do not represent the claimant, and assisting with preparation will take place via the claimant’s solicitor, you may wish to begin preparing the claimant at least two weeks prior to the IME. This will allow added time for communications to be relayed between yourself, the claimant’s representative, and the claimant, therefore reducing the chance of hiccups caused by missed or delayed communications.

The IME

Sometimes VERIFY needs to get hold of the Case Manager (and/or Booking Solicitor) on the date of assessment. You may not be available, so please ensure that the claimant and VERIFY are advised of the best alternate point of contact, in case of any issues on the date of the IME.

The Report

As noted in Briefing your Specialist above, the turnaround time for your report is variable and depends on the specialist and the complexity of the matter. If you become aware of any urgent deadlines, reach out to VERIFY as soon as practicable to enquire as to whether your report can be provided within your new timeframe. VERIFY will always endeavour to meet your timelines and our specialists are dedicated to working around your timeframes wherever possible.

If any extra documents which may have an impact on the Specialist’s assessment are received during the drafting phase, reach out to VERIFY. Many specialists will not accept additional documents after they have formed an opinion on the date of the IME. However, VERIFY can assist in organising a supplementary report based on the new documents.

Special Circumstances

Sometimes an urgent IME appointment will be required. Specialists will often try to accommodate for such special circumstances. If you require an urgent appointment, you must ensure that you are satisfied with your briefing material, or can provide a clear timeframe on when it will be received before the IME, as this determines feasibility for the specialist to proceed with the last-minute request.

In some cases, there will be alternatives to a last-minute bookings. Claimants who cannot attend the specialist’s rooms in-person may be able to be assessed via a surrogate, or by video link.