Washington’s Independent Medical Exams Said to Favor Employers

• Independent medical examinations in Washington State are alleged to favor the state’s workers’ compensation agency or self-insured employers, according to a local media investigation.
• Cascade PBS reports that between 2020 and 2024, the state’s workers’ compensation system spent roughly $100 million on these exams.
• Labor & Industries, which manages the state-funded workers’ compensation and oversees self-insured companies, contends the exams offer injured workers a second opinion on treatment and recovery progress.
• Roughly 10% of the state-funded workers’ compensation claims involve at least one IME, according to a 2023 L&I report.
• This year, workers have filed dozens of complaints against doctors over these exams this year. Some said the doctor’s report did not match what took place during the exam or contradict their attending provider’s opinion.
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