DWC Opens Door to Use of Telemedicine by QMEs

In a first for California work comp, the state Division of Workers’ Compensation has approved the use of telemedicine by one physician for conducting medical-legal evaluations. Dr. Behzad Emad, a qualified medical examiner in Santa Monica, said in a telephone interview that he received DWC approval for using telemedicine during med-legal evaluations as an accommodation for a disability. Emad’s name is reportedly already showing up on med-legal panels with a note indicating the evaluation would take place through the use of interactive audio, video or data, rather than in...