Neuropsychiatric Independent Medical Exams
Dr. Claunch began doing IMEs in 2020 In Worcester Massachusetts and quickly found it to be an extremely rewarding endeavor. The ability to characterize overlap Neurological and Psychiatric sequelae after an accident has been a way to help individuals and their attorneys wade through confusing and often contradictory specialist opinions for a unified report that covers multiple specialties.
Now that he is moving to the Jacksonville Florida region, he hopes to coordinate to continue this valuable service for Attorneys in that area, though he will still be available for virtual IMEs for his previous clients in Massachusetts.
What Makes Us Different:
Using the AMA’s Guide to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, a neurologist may be able to characterize and rate Migraines, Other Headaches, and Neuropathic Pain. A Psychiatrist may be able to characterize PTSD or Depression. However, injuries from a fall, head strike, or motor vehicle accident typically involves a combination of all of the above. We often even find disability denials and expert opinions regarding disability being driven by psychiatric Nurse Practitioners who simply ignore any impairment driven by sequelae outside of their knowledge base. Are you tired of neurologists saying the impairments are all psychiatric or the psychiatrist saying the impairments seem mostly neurologic?
With his dual boarded expertise in Neurology and Psychiatry, Dr. Claunch can identify, characterize, and score any impairment within these broader fields with narrative reports that put the impairment into a context of actual impact on life functioning. Including scales such as the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS scale) and Mental Status, Cognition, and Highest Integrative Function (MSCHIF) paradigms along side the Mental and Behavioral Disorders (MB&D) ratings would be impractical for providers from either individual specialty. Integrating all of these symptoms into a unified narrative with discussions of topics such as loss of autonomy, purpose, and productivity also benefits from his broader training.
Long COVID And Post Vaccine Injury
While most of Dr. Claunch’s IMEs have been for clients suffering after a fall or accident, he also has a unique understanding of other complex Neuropsychiatric illness like Long COVID which have been prevalent since the pandemic. While he takes a neutral view of organizational decision making during the pandemic (and he LOVES vaccines), he has evaluated some clients seeking disability, worker’s compensation, or recompense after they developed Long COVID due to institutional decisions related to “return to work” policies, vaccine mandates, or poor availability of Personal Protective Equipment. Dr. Claunch does not disagree with institutions making these policies to protect their shareholders, but if disability must be quantified, he is one of the few practitioners well versed in the Post-Infections Neurocognitive syndromes and Post-Vaccine Neurocognitive syndromes and can comfortably tabulate and calculate impairment due to these disorders.
Costs
A thorough review of available medical records, coordinated history and physical exam, and drafting of the narrative report will typically cost the requesting attorney around $1800. If extra time is needed beyond the 4 hour dedicated time, $125 for every 15 minutes ($500/hr) will also be charged, though this is only in rare circumstances. Repeat IMEs may cost less if performed within 12 months as Dr. Claunch will mostly be obtaining interim history. Depositions will be charged to reflect a similar hourly wage, though a flat fee is often negotiated based on predicted time reserved from his other work.
We have determined this is an appropriate market value currently, though it may adjust with inflation. However, the attorneys we have worked with have found it much less expensive than obtaining impairment ratings from multiple separate specialists. It is also less confusing to a Judge who might not appreciate the complexity of multiple reports using entirely different scales and metrics for a single impaired individual.
Lastly, Dr. Claunch makes every effort to expedite these reports and return them to the Attorneys very quickly, often within 2-3 business days of the examination. He is always happy to quickly fix any errors or typos in the reports and will always consider requests for clarification or to expound upon any elements of the history and symptoms that might not be present in an initial report.
See below what other attorneys have said about their work with Dr. Claunch:
Let’s Work Together
To request a discussion with Dr. Claunch about retaining his services, please fill out this form including your name, contact information, and any pertinent information about the type of clientele you serve. We will get back to you within a few buisness days to schedule a brief discussion about whether his IME service is right for you and your Clients.