For employers and occupational health
Fitness-to-work answers you can act on
We arrange fitness-to-work and return-to-work assessments, Functional Capacity Evaluations (Functional Abilities Evaluation or FAE in Ontario), Physical Demands Analyses, and Job Site Assessments. You receive capability and restriction against the duties you named, and the employee is told what the appointment is, who ordered it, and who sees the report.
The problem
The report answers a medical question, not your question
You need to know whether this person can do these duties, and for how long. What comes back is a diagnosis and a prognosis. Human resources cannot act on it, and the accommodation stalls.
- The report does not name the duties you asked about.
- Restrictions are vague or open-ended.
- You do not know what medical information you may lawfully hold.
- The return-to-work date slips with no record of why.
- Every request restarts the paperwork.
What changes
What IMECore does about it
Ask about duties, not diagnoses
Send the job duties with the referral. The examiner answers capability and restriction against those duties.
Restrictions with review dates
Each restriction carries a scope and a review date, so the accommodation plan has an end and a next step.
Functional testing where it fits
We arrange Functional Capacity Evaluations (Functional Abilities Evaluation or FAE in Ontario), Physical Demands Analyses, and Job Site Assessments against the duties you named.
The employee knows what is happening
The appointment letter names who ordered the assessment, the questions asked, and who sees the report. Support persons, breaks, and interpreters follow the examinee guide.
You see capability, not the chart
The employer view shows capability and restriction. Clinical detail stays with the parties entitled to see it, and every access is logged.
A file that stands up in a grievance
Consent, questions, examination, report, and follow-up sit on one file, with a plain log of what was asked and disclosed, and when.
Free tools
Try the calculation first
No account, no upload. These run in your browser.
- Free tool
IME cost estimator
Estimate the fee range for an independent medical examination by province, specialty, and report type. Built from published fee guides.
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Interpreter and accommodation planner
Select the language, accessibility needs, and material requirements. The planner builds the interpreter booking, break schedule, and room checklist.
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FAQ
Questions people ask
How do I refer a case?
Send the referral at /refer with the examinee details, or use the referral link your IMECore contact gave you. Staff review every referral before anything is booked, then confirm the plan in the referral acknowledgement.
What do you need with a referral?
The referral letter with your questions, the claim or file number, the deadline, the examinee's contact details, and the records you already hold or where to request them. Missing pieces do not stop the referral. The acknowledgement lists what is still outstanding.
What medical information do we receive?
Capability and restriction against the duties you named, not diagnosis, unless the employee consents to more. The employer view is limited by role.
What is the employee told?
The appointment letter names who ordered the assessment, the questions asked, and who sees the report. The examinee guide at /for/examinees explains the day itself: support persons, breaks, and interpreters.
How long until the report?
In British Columbia the report often takes 4 to 8 weeks after the examination (lawyerinfo.ca, BC WCAT guide). Complex files and large record volumes add time. The referral acknowledgement confirms the expected date for your file.
Can I ask for a rush?
Yes. Say so when you refer and give the date the report is needed. The acknowledgement confirms whether that date is possible and what it depends on.
Which assessments do you offer?
Independent Medical Examination (IME), Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE; Functional Abilities Evaluation or FAE in Ontario), Medical File Review, Insurer Examination, Catastrophic Impairment Assessment, Attendant Care Needs Assessment, Physical Demands Analysis, Job Site Assessment, Psychological Assessment, Psychiatric Assessment, Neuropsychological Assessment, Psycho-Vocational Assessment, Future Care Cost Assessment, Ergonomic Assessment, and Virtual Assessment.
Which specialties do you work with?
Orthopaedic surgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation, psychiatry, and psychology, matched to the referral question. Tell us what the file needs and the acknowledgement confirms the specialty.
Where do you operate?
Across Canada, in person and by video. Virtual assessments cover files where an in-person examination is not needed or not possible.
How do reviews and follow-ups work?
Each restriction carries a review date. When it arrives, a reassessment opens on the same file and carries the history forward.
Do you arrange interpreters, transport, and chaperones?
Yes. Tell us when you refer so they are booked before the appointment. Interpreters and chaperones are arranged for the examination, and travel needs are coordinated with the examinee.
How is the report delivered?
The report is released to the referrer through the client portal, section by section, with notice when it is ready. Nothing goes by email attachment.
How is the fee built?
Per assessment, confirmed in writing in the referral acknowledgement before anything is booked. The figure depends on the assessment type and the specialty. Write to us for a quote on your file.
What is your cancellation policy?
A cancellation policy applies to late changes, and the acknowledgement states the terms for your file. Contact the coordinator as early as you can to move a date.
Keep reading
Related pages
- For teams
Insurers and adjusters
We deliver Independent Medical Examinations, Functional Capacity Evaluations, and Medical File Reviews for ICBC Part 7, Ontario SABS, Section B, LTD, and life and health files. A named reviewer signs off every report before it reaches your desk.
Read - For teams
IME coordination firms
IMECore holds the referral, the records, the booking, the report, and the invoice against one case. Nothing lives in a mailbox.
Read - Service
Functional Capacity Evaluation
A clinician works through a standardized set of physical tasks — lifting, carrying, sitting, standing, reaching — and reports what the person can do against the demands of their job. In Ontario the same assessment is called a Functional Abilities Evaluation (FAE). Employers and insurers order it for return-to-work and disability decisions.
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Psychological Assessment
A psychologist interviews the examinee, runs standardized testing where the questions need it, and reports diagnosis, function, and accommodation in a signed report. Insurers and employers order one when mood, behaviour, or cognition, not the body, is what keeps the person from working.
Read - Service
Physical Demands Analysis
A documented breakdown of what a job physically requires: lifting, carrying, postures, repetition, and environment, measured at the actual workstation. Employers order one before a capacity evaluation, during accommodation, or when the written job description no longer matches the work.
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Job Site Assessment
An assessor visits the workplace, watches the job being done, and records its physical and environmental demands. Employers order one, sometimes called a job demands analysis (JDA), when the written description is out of date or return-to-work needs real duties matched to measured capacity.
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Psycho-Vocational Assessment
A psychologist or vocational assessor tests aptitudes, reads the work history as skills, and reports what work the person can still do and what retraining it would take. Insurers and employers order one — often called an employability or labour-market re-entry (LMR) assessment — when the question is not the diagnosis but which jobs remain open.
Read - Service
Ergonomic Assessment
An assessor observes the person at their workstation, measures reaches, postures, and repetition, and recommends changes to the setup, the schedule, or both. Employers order one when discomfort or restrictions persist after the equipment was already adjusted once.
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Refer a case, get back a signed report
Send the referral and the questions. A coordinator confirms the file and what it still needs, then IMECore coordinates the examination and delivers a signed report.