Seattle 2005 Schedule

SEAK in Seattle -- January 2005

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Expert Witness Directory

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Seattle 2005
Registration Information/CME
Registration Form
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Expert Witness Directory

WRITING AND DEFENDING YOUR IME REPORT
Saturday, January 29, 2005, Radisson Hotel, Seattle Airport

8:00-8:30 Continental Breakfast

8:30-9:00 Introduction: Students will learn when to write their IME reports and more importantly when not to write their IME reports. The law governing the discoverability and admissibility of IME reports will be explained. The specific reasons why a well-written IME report is of crucial importance will be explained. Questions and Answers

9:00-9:15 Formatting: Students will learn the optimum ways to format an IME report (including L&I’s required format) and how proper formatting can assist them during cross-examination. The importance of proper formatting will be emphasized, with a specific discussion of cover pages, fonts, topic headings, paragraph breaks and lengths, spacing, and page numbering. Model reports with superior formatting will be provided. Questions and Answers

9:15-10:00 Properly Documenting the Medical Records and Other Documents Reviewed: Through a combination of a didactic presentation, interactive writing exercises, and mock trial demonstrations, students will learn the best ways to document in their IME reports the medical records and others documents received and reviewed by the examiner. Questions and Answers

10:00-10:15 Break (Networking Opportunity)

10:15-10:45 Qualifications of the Examiner: The examiner’s stating of his own qualifications in an IME report is an area where avoidable mistakes with severe consequences are all too often made. Through didactic presentations, interactive writing exercises and a mock trial demonstration, students will learn the importance of accurately and objectively stating one’s qualifications and the common errors that examiners often make in this area. The importance of not giving opinions beyond your true area of expertise will be stressed. Questions and Answers

10:45-11:15 History and Physical Examination: A well-grounded opinion depends on a detailed and accurate documentation of both the history taken from the examinee and the examiner’s physical examination of the examinee. In this segment attendees will learn best practices in documenting the examinee’s history and the physical examination performed as part of the evaluation. A mock trial demonstration and interactive exercises will drive home common mistakes. Questions and Answers

11:15-11:45 Properly Expressing Your Expert Medical Opinions: The purpose of an IME report is the expression of the examiner’s expert medical opinions on common IME issues such as causation, impairment, disability, appropriateness of care, and prognosis. These opinions should be expressed in a clear, confident and supportable manner. Through didactic presentations, interactive writing exercises and a mock trial demonstration, students will learn how to properly express their expert medical opinions, the reasoning for these opinions and the common pitfalls to avoid in this area. Questions and Answers

11:45-12:00 Catching Mistakes Before They Catch You: Through didactic presentations and a mock trial demonstration examiners will learn the importance of proofreading their IME reports and how to catch and correct the most commonly made errors in IME reports. Questions and Answers

12:00-1:00 Lunch (Provided with Faculty)

1:00-2:45 Drafting a Powerful, Defensible IME Report: Through didactic presentations, interactive writing exercises and a mock trial demonstration, students will learn 20 proven techniques to make their IME report more powerful, persuasive, and defensible. Specific techniques explained will include: avoidance of absolute words, staying within the examiner’s true area of expertise, red flag words to avoid in IME reports, common damaging superfluous language that should not appear in IME reports, the avoidance of hedge words and over a dozen more specific techniques. Questions and Answers

2:45-3:00 Break (Networking Opportunity)

3:00-4:00 Defending Your IME Report At Deposition and Trial: Through didactic presentations and mock trial demonstrations students will learn the 25 most effective tactics counsel uses to attack an examiner through his IME report and, more importantly, specific advice on how to defend against each and every one of these tactics. Questions and Answers

4:00-4:30 Trick and Difficult Cross-Examination Questions For Independent Medical Examiners: The instructor will ask the attendees numerous trick and difficult questions that they can expect to be asked at deposition or trial. Truthful and artful responses to each question will be suggested. Questions and Answers

4:30-5:00 Conclusion and Takeaways: Concluding remarks will be preceded by the attendees and faculty working together to create a list of specific action steps that the attendees should consider taking as a result of what was learned in this workshop. Questions and Answers

8:00-8:30	Continental Breakfast
8:30-9:00	Introduction: Students will learn when to write their IME reports and more importantly when not to write their IME reports. The law governing the discoverability and admissibility of IME reports will be explained. The specific reasons why a well-written IME report is of crucial importance will be explained. Questions and Answers
9:00-9:15	Formatting: Students will learn the optimum ways to format an IME report (including L&I’s required format) and how proper formatting can assist them during cross-examination. The importance of proper formatting will be emphasized, with a specific discussion of cover pages, fonts, topic headings, paragraph breaks and lengths, spacing, and page numbering. Model reports with superior formatting will be provided. Questions and Answers
9:15-10:00	Properly Documenting the Medical Records and Other Documents Reviewed: Through a combination of a didactic presentation, interactive writing exercises, and mock trial demonstrations, students will learn the best ways to document in their IME reports the medical records and others documents received and reviewed by the examiner. Questions and Answers
10:00-10:15	Break (Networking Opportunity)
10:15-10:45	Qualifications of the Examiner: The examiner’s stating of his own qualifications in an IME report is an area where avoidable mistakes with severe consequences are all too often made. Through didactic presentations, interactive writing exercises and a mock trial demonstration, students will learn the importance of accurately and objectively stating one’s qualifications and the common errors that examiners often make in this area. The importance of not giving opinions beyond your true area of expertise will be stressed. Questions and Answers
10:45-11:15	History and Physical Examination: A well-grounded opinion depends on a detailed and accurate documentation of both the history taken from the examinee and the examiner’s physical examination of the examinee. In this segment attendees will learn best practices in documenting the examinee’s history and the physical examination performed as part of the evaluation. A mock trial demonstration and interactive exercises will drive home common mistakes. Questions and Answers
11:15-11:45	Properly Expressing Your Expert Medical Opinions: The purpose of an IME report is the expression of the examiner’s expert medical opinions on common IME issues such as causation, impairment, disability, appropriateness of care, and prognosis. These opinions should be expressed in a clear, confident and supportable manner. Through didactic presentations, interactive writing exercises and a mock trial demonstration, students will learn how to properly express their expert medical opinions, the reasoning for these opinions and the common pitfalls to avoid in this area. Questions and Answers
11:45-12:00	Catching Mistakes Before They Catch You: Through didactic presentations and a mock trial demonstration examiners will learn the importance of proofreading their IME reports and how to catch and correct the most commonly made errors in IME reports. Questions and Answers
12:00-1:00	Lunch (Provided with Faculty)
1:00-2:45	Drafting a Powerful, Defensible IME Report: Through didactic presentations, interactive writing exercises and a mock trial demonstration, students will learn 20 proven techniques to make their IME report more powerful, persuasive, and defensible. Specific techniques explained will include: avoidance of absolute words, staying within the examiner’s true area of expertise, red flag words to avoid in IME reports, common damaging superfluous language that should not appear in IME reports, the avoidance of hedge words and over a dozen more specific techniques. Questions and Answers
2:45-3:00	Break (Networking Opportunity)
3:00-4:00	Defending Your IME Report At Deposition and Trial: Through didactic presentations and mock trial demonstrations students will learn the 25 most effective tactics counsel uses to attack an examiner through his IME report and, more importantly, specific advice on how to defend against each and every one of these tactics. Questions and Answers
4:00-4:30	Trick and Difficult Cross-Examination Questions For Independent Medical Examiners: The instructor will ask the attendees numerous trick and difficult questions that they can expect to be asked at deposition or trial. Truthful and artful responses to each question will be suggested. Questions and Answers
4:30-5:00	Conclusion and Takeaways: Concluding remarks will be preceded by the attendees and faculty working together to create a list of specific action steps that the attendees should consider taking as a result of what was learned in this workshop. Questions and Answers