IME Summit 2003

IME Summit 2003

IME Summit
November 6-7, 2003
DePaul Center, DePaul University^�IME Directory / Expert Witness Directory	Registration /CME Information Schedule Registration Form Faculty Hotel Information PDF version

Executive Summary

This is the finest continuing education available on the topic of independent medical evaluations. The dynamic and diverse faculty includes a workers' compensation hearing officer, plaintiff and defense lawyers, IME company executive and an innovative IME office manager. The learning methodology utilized will identify and solve the most pressing problems facing the Summit participants. Participants will be involved in a series of unique interactive learning experiences including mock direct and cross-examinations and examination demonstrations. Pre-Summit task assignments are utilized. Registration is strictly limited. Participants will be able to achieve markedly enhanced success in performing independent medical evaluations. Breakfast and lunch with faculty will be provided each day. A special bonus resource is provided for early registrants. Past Summit participants have substantially increased the success of their IME practices, have been able to raise their fees, and have vastly increased their IME practices.

What You Will Accomplish By Attending

Following the completion of the pre-summit assignments, participation in the seminar, and implementation of the solutions presented in the IME Summit you will be able to:

Write more persuasive, defensible and valuable IME Reports
Reduce your legal risks
Improve the efficiency and profitability of your IME practice
Obtain additional high-quality clients with repeatable business
Effectively deal with the most difficult ethical problems associated with IMEs
Solve most or all of your IME problems
Build a premiere IME practice

Learning Objectives

At the completion of this event, you will be able to:

Improve the efficiency of your evaluation process,
Discuss advanced approaches to detecting symptom magnification,
Explain how to minimize legal risks involved in performing IMEs,
Implement professional approaches to marketing IME services,
Deal with over/mistreatment by the attending physician,
Deal with problems associated with the examinee's medical records,
Write a better report,
Be a more persuasive expert witness,
Identify and deal with the leading ethical issues facing evaluators,
Explain how to deal with requests for "corrections" to your report, and
Reevaluate your fee setting, billing, and collecting procedures.

Comments from past IME Summit participants:
"excellent ~ one of the best I have been to in 20 years"
"absolutely superb"
"extremely well run, informative, and entertaining"
"faculty very competent and good teachers"
"more than excellent ~ profitable"
"excellent preparation and presentation"
"very practical"
"excellent way of learning in shortest period of time"
"full of usable information"
"outstanding seminar with multiple practical tips"
"I look forward to next year's Summit"

Faculty

Mira Akins, MS, is the office manager of a highly successful IME practice in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Ms. Akins has "positioned" the practice and developed innovative marketing and premium fee setting and billing techniques. Ms. Akins has a Master's of Science in Electrical Engineering and has had a distinguished career as an engineer and management specialist.

Steven Babitsky, Esquire, is the President of SEAK, Inc. He was a personal injury trial attorney for twenty years and specialized in representing injured workers. He is the former managing partner of the firm Kistin, Babitsky, Latimer & Beitman. He is the seminar leader for the Annual National Expert Witness and Litigation Seminar. Attorney Babitsky is the co-author of the texts, The Independent Medical Evaluation Report: A Step by Step Guide with Models, Litigating Stress Cases in Workers' Compensation, and Understanding the AMA Guides in Workers' Compensation. Attorney Babitsky is the co-developer and trainer for the videos How to Be an Effective Medical Witness and The Expert Medical Deposition: How To Be An Effective and Ethical Witness.

Anthony J. Dorto, MD, FAADEP, is the Medical Director of the Disability Assessment Center in Miami, Florida, which performs Independent Medical Evaluations, second opinions, functional capacity, and vocational and earning capacity assessment. Dr. Dorto is certified by the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners, is a Fellow of the American Academy of Disability Evaluation Physicians, and is Board Certified in Physical Medicine, and Rehabilitation. Dr. Dorto has lectured and written extensively on IMEs, symptom magnification and malingering, disability evaluation, and impairment rating.

Thomas D. Johnson is the Vice President of WMCI, a national IME company headquartered in Portland, Oregon. As Vice President he is responsible for implementing new customer service capabilities to improve client satisfaction and loyalty. Mr. Johnson has led all new business initiatives for WMCI. Mr. Johnson has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Oregon State University and an MBA from the University of Oxford, England. Tom is an avid runner.

Eugene F. Keefe, Esquire, is a partner with the firm Keefe & Associates. He received his B.A. degree from Loyola University of Chicago and his J.D. degree from John Marshall Law School. Mr. Keefe is admitted to the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois and the Federal Trial Bar. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois Workers' Compensation Association and the Workers' Compensation Claims Association. Mr. Keefe is a frequent editor, author, lecturer and presenter on Workers' Compensation issues.

Steven L. Sterner is a District Hearing Officer at the Industrial Commission of Ohio. He received his BA from Washington and Jefferson College and his JD from Cleveland Marshall College of Law. Hearing Officer Sterner was previously an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Ohio in the Workers' Compensation Division and a personal injury and Workers' Compensation trial attorney. He has been a District Hearing Officer since 1996.