Sixth Edition Author Suggests Multiplier to Adjust Impairment Ratings

The doctor who penned much of the oft-debated sixth edition of the AMA guides now suggests that states can offset low impairment ratings with their own tweaks to the ratings. "If states think the ratings are too low, they can come up with a multiplier, say 1.4 or something," said Dr. Christopher Brigham, senior editor of the sixth edition of the American Medical Association's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment. Several states require the use of the sixth edition in determining the level of benefits for injured workers, but courts in Kansas and Pennsy...