Study Finds AMA 6th Edition Leads to 'Systematically Lower' Ratings

A study published last week in a medical journal shows that the much-criticized sixth edition of the American Medical Association’s impairment rating guides produces “systematically lower” ratings than the previous edition. The study, authored by professors at McMaster University in Canada and by physicians in Europe, was published in this month’s Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. It looked at 131 workers in Netherlands who were evaluated by using the fifth edition of the guides, and at 118 workers assessed with the sixth edition, in 2011 and...