Independent Medical Examinations After An Injury

January 29, 2018 / Thomas Cohn, MD

One of my least favorite tasks is seeing what an Independent Medical Exam (IME) has said about any of my patients. IMEs are evaluations performed on a patient usually at the request of an insurance company or sometimes an attorney. Theoretically, these are to be used to determine the true nature of the medical problems and to provide recommendations for ongoing management of a patient. Usually they are performed in cases where there may be legal issues involved; mostly commonly the insurer is either workman’s compensation or auto insurer. These exams are performed by physicians who are often not actively in practice, and may not even have expertise in the area of treatment. Therefore the quality and purpose of such an exam is often questionable.

The Inherent Problems With Some IMEs

In my distant past, I also performed independent medical exams, most commonly for insurance carriers in workman’s compensation cases. The most common reason why insurers sent patients to my office is that they wanted to know what was really wrong with their clients and what may be the anticipated cost for future treatment. A good evaluation by a Physical Medicine and pain expert can at least tell them what is actually wrong with their client, and what are likely going to be necessary future treatments.

Instead of denying any injury ever occurred, several of the insurers took the proactive step to determine what was going to be the best way forward. Since they knew that I was going to tell the truth about the patient’s medical condition, it was valuable and a positive experience for both the patient and the insurance company. The last one I performed was a year ago and I had to ask if they knew the results may not be in the insurance company’s favor and if they would be okay with whatever I determined. Surprisingly, they really just wanted to know what was wrong with their client.

Most independent medical examinations I see are ordered by an insurance carrier and they only will hire physicians that they know will find any way deny that a medical problem exists. Often the physician will minimize an injury, and then report it as not feasible that the patient’s complaint can be present. The history taken is usually very short, and a physical exam is limited. The physician then develops “alternative facts” and delivers the “fake news” back to the insurer. Honesty and an understanding of pain, as well as most conditions that cause pain, is absent. The overall purpose is to minimize liability by the insurance carrier in a future legal setting. These exams are used to limit any ongoing medical care for a patient. The frustrating factor for the patient is that if these were done in a true independent manor and actually were done by professionals with real skill and understanding of the medical problems, then they could actually be useful.

Preparing For Your IME

The take home message for a patient who needs to undergo such an exam is that they need to be knowledgeable about the process. The patient should consider recording the exam for their own record, whether it is having a witness, taking notes or actually filming or recording the event such that one can counter incorrect information in any report. It is important for the patient to be fully cooperative and not combative and really participate in any exam such that any abnormalities will be evident. Lastly, insist that the report be made available to you or your legal representative so inaccuracies can be addressed later.

Rarely are independent medical examinations done to develop a full understanding by all parties involved in settling medical-legal issues. For a patient, the results of these exams should be taken with skepticism at best. For lawyers and insurance companies, honest and good exams would likely be more helpful. To develop future plans for a patient, currently the best source of information is usually the treating physicians. If the insurance company really wants to know what is wrong with a patient with a musculoskeletal problem, recruit the use of an experienced, board certified Physical Medicine physician. A good expert who can explain a range of management options is the needed expert to help settle questions in patient management.

Balancing Best Practices and Patient Satisfaction

January 24, 2018 / Thomas Cohn, MD

You would think that in all cases, giving the patient the optimal treatment plan will result in a satisfied patient. Surprisingly, this is not always the case. In an ideal world, a doctor would have a healthy and satisfied patient, but if they have to sacrifice one for the other, your doctor is going to put your health over your satisfaction.

Balancing the best treatment plan and patient satisfaction is especially tough in the world of chronic pain care. For example, in a recent study of nearly 20,000 people with musculoskeletal pain conditions, individuals who were prescribed opioids to manage their pain were much more satisfied with their care. Individuals who used opioids moderately were 55 percent more likely than non-users to report high levels of care satisfaction, and heavy opioid use was associated with a 43 percent higher likelihood of reporting high satisfaction. The more doctors prescribe, the better the chance patients are satisfied with their care.

The problem with prescribing opioids because it will satisfy patients is that overdose and abuse can set in at any time. Taking opioids for chronic pain is a primary risk factor for dying of an opioid overdose, and an overdose leaves many unsatisfied people in its wake.

Prioritizing Health

As we’ve said on the blog many times in the past and will continue to preach on here, we’re not anti-opioid. Pain medications can play a pivotal role in a pain management plan when closely monitored and administered. Instead, we’re anti doctors who prioritize gaining favor or satisfying patients by prescribing pills when it is not in the patient’s best interest or it is not coupled with active treatment modalities, like exercise, physical therapy or diet changes.

The study that analyzed patient satisfaction also pointed out a major flaw in the healthcare system – doctors are often compensated based on patient satisfaction, either directly on the paycheck, or indirectly in terms of online reviews and word of mouth. So we have a system that rewards doctors for doing what the patient wants, instead of what’s best for the patient. Providing the best care and satisfying the patient don’t always go hand-in-hand in pain management, and when doctors see more benefits in appeasing the patient than doing what’s best for them, it’s the patient who suffers.

Doctors are a lot like personal trainers at the gym. You aren’t going to grow muscles by wearing an ab band and sitting on your couch, you have to pick up some weights and put in the work. The same goes for treating your chronic pain condition. There is no magic pill that will allow you to heal without putting in the work on your end. You might not like your doctor at the end of the day, but if you find a good doctor, you’ll know that they truly do have your best interests in mind. Down the road, you’ll thank them.

Making Pain Patients and Doctors Feel Like Outlaws

January 15, 2018 / Thomas Cohn, MD

An opinion piece by Dr. Thomas Cohn

I spent Friday evening with my staff trying to get authorization for medications for one of my patients. The process started on Wednesday when we changed the opioid dosing to a more logical plan based on the needs of the patient. That is when the problem started with the insurance company. We obtained the first authorization for the long-acting medication, then the change for the short-acting medication was refused since the insurance company decided it was too high a dose for a month. We were given a peer review and scheduled a time for the review, but the insurance company physician did not call. We then were finally told on Friday at 3:00 p.m. that the doctor would talk to us and we called immediately.

This was a total sham, the doctor read the insurance company guidelines and said he had no ability to change what was written. Since I have done many reviews as both the reviewer and the one asking for review, the person reviewing can tell the insurance company the rationale for any decision for a patient if medically indicated. It did not seem like anyone at the insurance company cared about the patient.

Villianizing the Patient

For starters, a few patients have very significant medical conditions that may be appropriately treated with opioids. For cancer patients, there is no question that it is within reason to treat with these medications. Some patients also have severe medical conditions that are causing progressive deterioration of the body and likely will lead to death eventually, and opioids also are reasonable. Lastly, some patients have failed every other treatment or surgery and were left with such significant body dysfunction that opioids are the only thing that helps manage pain. These patients are extremely compliant, not abusing their medications, and are being treated by reputable providers, not pill mill doctors. Unfortunately, this patient fell into the class of having a nasty progressively deteriorating neurological condition that has been causing significant pain as well as difficulty with daily activities.

Trying to obtain understanding for the patient who needs medications is supposed to be relatively straightforward. There are guidelines on prescribing to reduce using medications inappropriately, especially in acute settings for starting an opioid regimen. For patients who have legitimate uses for these medications, they are supposed to be able to obtain them if the physician feels it is indicated. Again, this patient appears to have a very significant neurological disorder affecting the whole body, and it is causing significant pain that other treatments will not stop and other medications do not help.

As a pain physician, I was being asked by her other doctors to manage the pain medications. Being board certified in pain, one would think recommendations for medications would have good reasoning as well as being up-to-date with concerns of abuse. If another board certified pain physician saw the recommendations made, I am sure they would agree on the treatment. So when a peer review occurs and the physician says he can do nothing, it is clearly not a well-trained physician and they should not be reviewing such a complex case. The insurance company should fire such doctors from their review panels. Furthermore, it can put a patient in jeopardy since needed medications are not obtainable.

Insurance Problems

The insurance company also had a major fail in patient management. The doors close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. All the phones start rolling over to automated voice call systems. There is no emergency contact person available to obtain authorizations. There is no contact person for any information so the patient can obtain the necessary treatment. Friday and the weekend comes, and you are out of luck.

The most infuriating aspect of the process is no one seemed to care at the insurance company, the pharmacy benefits company or the patient’s pharmacy. I was totally insulted by the Walgreen’s pharmacist who implied that they could not prescribe because physicians like me were causing the opioid abuse problem and patients like the one receiving the medications were obviously abusers. Statements like that are divisive and show clear ignorance and bias. Legitimate pain patients should not be made victims and neither should their physicians.

The opioid crisis is a problem related to addiction and only minimally related to pain management. In pain practices run by board certified physicians that are providing full service management strategies, opioid abuse is likely less than 5 percent of those patients using medications. When the need is legitimate, pain physicians should be given the ability to make the right recommendations and not need to waste time on approvals versus providing treatment. There are very few specialists in pain care, and providing appropriate medication management by these physicians should be encouraged.

Beyond just prescribing, the insurance companies need to step up and pay for the complex solutions like injections, behavioral health interventions, physical therapy, health clubs, dieticians and other integrative approaches to pain management. The patient and the physician trying to develop appropriate treatment plans should not be stymied but encouraged. The chronic pain patient and board certified pain physicians are not the cause of the opioid crisis. The opioid crisis is really a crisis that started from the lack of treatments for pain. Find the solutions for pain and the addiction crisis will start to crumble. Until we understand pain management, we may continue to have a opioid abuse crisis.

The Gender Disparity of the Opioid Crisis

January 8, 2018 / Thomas Cohn, MD

A recent opinion piece in the Star Tribune shined a light on the problem different genders face in the opioid crisis, particularly the challenges faced by women.

One of the main talking points is that deaths from opioid overdoses have increased much faster for women than for men. Female deaths from opioid overdoses have increased 400 percent in recent years compared to 265 percent for men. Both of these numbers are very problematic, but it helps to show that the opioid crisis is affecting each gender differently.

When opioids affect women, it can oftentimes have a bigger trickle down affect than when it affects men. As the article states, in most American families the woman is the primary caregiver, and the woman’s well-being is often closely tied to the health and future of the children. Opioid abuse by the primary caregiver can often lead to problems down the road for the children, and it increases their likelihood of having their own battles with substance abuse. When opioids negatively affect women, it rarely impacts just one person.

Fixing The Problem

The article went on to suggest some ways to reduce opioid disparity and the larger problem of gender-based health disparities in the United States. Some of the proposed solutions include:

Addiction risk education for doctors and patients
More education has led to fewer opioid prescriptions and in some places, a downturn in overdose deaths
Better emergency room treatment
Education campaigns to change dosage standards for women
Increased doctor education in states where women disproportionately suffer from conditions like obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic pain and heart problems
Stop cutting insurance coverage for certain programs like Medicaid and Medicare

It’s clear that there’s no one-size-fits-all answer for fixing the opioid crisis and gender-based healthcare disparities throughout the country, but the first step is to help spread awareness that a problem exists. Then we need to put a plan of action in place and stop making the bottom line a higher priority than the health of the patient in our office.

Opioids certainly have a place to help patients when properly assigned and administered, but far too often they are being blindly prescribed and without safety measures in place if abuse begins. The Star Tribune article is a step in the right direction by calling attention to the problem, but now we need doctors, patients and our legislatures to follow through. For the sake of women and families across the country, I hope we can work towards a solution.

How To Be Realistic About New Year’s Resolutions

January 3, 2018January 3, 2018 / Thomas Cohn, MD

It’s the beginning of a new year, and we all need to be realistic and open to looking at ways to improve ourselves. It is not an easy proposition, but with a little devotion it can be done. Take sometime now and begin by writing down tangible things you want in the next year, and then begin planning how you will achieve those goals. Look at the different aspects of your life from work to home life, and figure out what would you like to see change.

How To Make These Changes Happen

The first thing about change is to be realistic. Weight loss and exercise are some of the most common areas people want to be change. If you gained 50 pounds over the last five to ten years, it is unlikely that in 3-6 months that you will permanently lose the weight. However, losing a pound a week with a plan that involves changing your food intake, exercise, and having support of others and more knowledge of what has led to weight gain, may lead to success.

To be successful one also has to make the time for the change to happen. If exercising daily is a goal, sitting for an hour watching TV may have to change. You need to look at your current schedule and see what can be changed to make something happen. Further, do not fight with yourself. If you are not a morning person, do not try to wake up extra early to exercise since it is unlikely to happen. Find a time like after work and make it a priority, and combine it with something you like doing, such as watching TV at the same time or maybe listening to audio books.

Having help to make a change in your life is useful and motivating. Being part of a community with similar goals can help drive you through positive social connections. Sharing the challenge of exercise or weight loss with others who have the same desires can push you forward when you may have doubts. A team of support and friends to share the triumphs can make the grind easier since it is not only about you.

Finding Motivation

One of the hardest things to make a change is having motivation. Everyone has something different that makes one tick. Finding what keeps you going is tough and usually you need multiple reasons. Exercise makes almost everyone feel better overall, but that is often insufficient. For many, without exercise, their pain increases, stress increases, energy levels go down, sleep deteriorates, and for some if they stop, surgery may be the next treatment option. Further, some people are self-motivated while others need to be with others to be consistent and be part of a community or team.

Lastly, change is difficult, and consider a secondary plan if the goals are not being met. Sometimes there are a variety of factors that interfere with meeting a new goal. Do not get stuck with negative thoughts of failure. Change the targets and keep trying to move forward. Look for a different strategy and seek out help to make change. No one is alone in this world and there are numerous resources for help to meet almost any reasonable goal. Think positive and move forward, do not try to change too many aspects of your life at once. Choose just a few things and make it point of achieving them, and then add in new challenges.