Reviews of Med-Legal Reports Have Docs Wary

A physicians' group charged Wednesday that insurers are hiring outside reviewers to second-guess California medical-legal evaluators in an attempt to negotiate lower ratings. The California Society of Industrial Medicine & Surgery (CSIMS) sent a three-page letter to members describing a practice by claims administrators of having medical-legal reports reviewed by out-of-state third parties. These reviewers are "not QMEs ... not necessarily licensed to practice medicine in California, ... do not review medical records firsthand and, most importantly, do not examine the injured worker," C...