Paper review
Give a paper-only opinion without pretending you saw the person
A file review has no examination, so every gap in the records becomes a gap in the opinion.
The problem
You asked for a file review and received an examination-shaped report
There is no appointment. There is no current presentation. The examiner still writes as if they saw the person, or they refuse to answer because a clinic note is missing. Meanwhile a live examination in BC can sit in a booking queue for months.
- Nobody lists what the examiner did not have.
- The opinion comments on effort without an examination.
- Duplicates hide the one missing operative report.
- The quote assumed an examination fee.
- Counsel wanted this while the in-person date is still months out.
What changes
What IMECore does about it
The case is marked paper-only
Intake sets file review as the service. The template drops examination headings and blocks language that implies attendance.
Gaps are the product
IMECore lists sources that arrived and sources that did not. The examiner answers against that list, or declines the question.
Questions a paper review can actually answer
Causation from the chart, consistency, and further records to request. Not current effort, and not a physical finding.
Sorted records, no waiting room
Duplicates collapse. Pages sort by provider and date. The examiner spends time reading, not stacking.
The invoice matches a review, not an exam
Charges follow record-review time. There is no no-show fee, because there was no appointment.
Use it while the examination is still booking
Open a file review on the same case. Convert to a full examination later without losing the record set.
How it runs
Four steps, start to finish
- 1
Open a file review, not an examination
Set the service type first. The questions and the fee schedule follow that choice.
- 2
Close the record gaps you can
Request the missing sources. Send the brief only when the remaining gaps are ones you accept.
- 3
Brief the examiner on paper limits
The portal shows the questions and the gap list. It does not offer an appointment.
- 4
Review language before release
Strip any sentence that implies the examiner saw the person, then send the report.
Where the time goes
Numbers worth knowing before you buy
Published figures from fee schedules and industry surveys. Each carries its source.
- Doctors of BC recommended physician record-review fee
- $122 / 15 minDoctors of BC recommended physician record-review feeDoctors of BC uninsured services guide, 2024
- Doctors of BC recommended fee for a simple factual medico-legal report
- $1,294Doctors of BC recommended fee for a simple factual medico-legal reportDoctors of BC uninsured services guide, 2024
- Typical wait to book a BC specialist IME
- 2–6 monthsTypical wait to book a BC specialist IMElawyerinfo.ca, BC WCAT guide
Free tools
Try the calculation first
No account, no upload. These run in your browser.
- Free tool
Records review time estimator
Turn a page count into a review-time range and a cost. Handwriting, duplication, and complexity all change the answer.
Read - Free tool
Records gap finder
List each expected source and the dates you hold. See what is missing, what is short, and a letter to request it.
Read - Free tool
Medical chronology builder
Paste dated lines from any file. Get a sorted chronology with gaps and duplicates flagged.
Read
FAQ
Questions people ask
When should we order a file review instead of an examination?
When the questions can be answered from paper, or when a specialist examination will not land in time. A file review cannot speak to current presentation or effort.
Which claim types use file reviews?
Long-term disability, workers' compensation, and some med-legal files. Accident-benefits IEs often still need an examination because the SABS question set asks about current function.
What if a key record is missing?
Leave the gap on the case. The examiner can answer around it or decline that question. Do not hide the gap in the brief.
Can we convert a file review into an examination later?
Yes. Open the examination on the same case. The record set and the questions carry forward.
How is a file review billed?
By review time, not by an examination fee. There is no attendance and no no-show charge.
Keep reading
Related pages
- Claim type
Long-term disability
An LTD examination has to test job demands and duration. A diagnosis recap does not close the claim.
Read - Claim type
Workers' compensation
WSIB and WorkSafeBC files need work-relatedness and restrictions the claim file can hold, not a generic diagnosis.
Read - For teams
Examiner physicians
Records arrive sorted, dated, and deduplicated. The questions sit next to the draft. You get paid on a schedule.
Read - Claim type
Addendum and rebuttal
An addendum inherits the case. A rebuttal answers the other expert. Both need a short clock.
Read
See it against one of your own files
Bring a case that keeps getting passed around. We will run it through IMECore on the call.