Program overview
The Medical Examiners' Handbook (F252-001-000, 07-2024) defines required IME report content, sample reports, work-relatedness assessment for occupational disease, and the doctor's estimate of physical capacities.
Report requirements
WAC 296-23-382 requires IME reports to contain objective, sound, and sufficient medical information; document the claim documents reviewed; and record the worker's history and clinical findings.
Washington runs a IME programme and rates on edition set by agency (L&I Medical Examiners' Handbook). The rating standard is set by the jurisdiction, not by the examiner, so the same clinical findings can produce different numbers across the 10 states profiled here.
Key facts
| Program | IME |
| Agency | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries |
| Statute / rules | WAC 296-23-382 (IME report content) |
| AMA Guides edition | AMA Guides (edition per L&I — verify current) |
| Edition basis | L&I Medical Examiners' Handbook |
| MMI rules | Detailed in the Medical Examiners' Handbook; report content per WAC 296-23-382 |
| Key forms | IME report templates in the Medical Examiners' Handbook |
| Fee schedule | L&I fee schedule; MARFS Chapter 24 covers telehealth IME policy |
| Telehealth | MARFS (2025) lists which IME-related services may be covered via telehealth; most IMEs remain in person |
