Possible To Have Private Dr Do Ime/imo?

[SprayedandBetrayed]

Hello Everyone,

I had wanted to know if anyone has successfully had their own private Dr do an IME or IMO? My father's Neurologist has experience with the VA. He was a Neuro there for sometime. We have to go back this week for the results of my Father's EMG. But he is also seeing my Dad for Parkinson's. I have been scouring over my Dad's medical records. I have found many issues within them. I had another post in one of the other forums which explains it all. My Dad is requesting the records from VAMC since he was first evaluated for Agent Orange exposure.

I wanted to ask the Dr if he would do an IME/or IMO since he has experience in this field, also with the VA. I am also having my Father's outside medical records printed up. He has a lot!!!!!! from falls, heart issues. I do have the Discharge summaries, saying what he was treated for. But would like to get the most important records.

Here is a link to the original post

Also he will be filing to get his file of claims from the VA as well.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[31Bravo]

Yes Sir, you can have a private Doctor provide a medical opinion. Get as many medical opinions as you can.

I have had five civilian/private Doctors provide Nexus letters to me over the years.

When one gets a C&P exam (Nexus letter) from the vA it may not be supporting or favorable to your claim.

Then it becomes necessary to get a second or third opinion from a Doctor that supports your claim, and contradicts the C&P Doctors opinion.

Get as many Doctors opinion's as you can to support your claim.

When one has several medical opinions/ Nexus letters, it increases your odds of winning a claim.

[Berta]

I answered your other post this AM on these issues.

Yes a private doctor can certainly prepare a valid IMO but they must follow the IMO criteria here at hadit:



In the reply I made today in the other thread I recommended Dr. BAsh, as he too is a former VA doctor and I developed this criteria from the 2 IMos I got for him for my AO DMII death claim.

I also searched for many months to find a Neuro who had treated my husband and had left VA for private practice.

He seemed to be the only doctor on my husband's treatment team who know what he was doing and a crossed out entry he had made in the med recs, I decifered as being DM conf dx). When I realized what this meant and still wasnt sure because it had been crossed out, I remembered suddenly something this doc had said and did to my husband that same day.

This doctor sent me a 2 sentence email reply and Dr Bash used it as co=oboration of his extensive medical opinion.BVA gave it a lot of weight.

2 IMos are better than one when they co -oborate each other with the medical expertise that each doctor has.

I will try to condense what proof VA needs if he pursues either FTCA or 1151, or both and add that as reply to your other thread here.

It might simplify the info on those forums here.

Edited July 6, 2015 by Berta

[broncovet]

Good advice. MAKE SURE your doc knows the wording it takes to win your claim. For example, some docs may write something like,

This patients condition could (or might) be caused by his event in military service.

This will almost always guarntee a denial. The Va calls that "speculative".

It has to say something close to:

This patients condition is at least as likely as not caused by the event in military service.

The doc will also need to say WHY he made that opinion..the medical rationale that VA often requires. Perhaps something like this:

"Medical records document a fracture to the left femur. While this fracture healed, the AMA Journal explains that

"Fractures of the Femur" result in arthritis and future pain 68 percent of the time".

This is why lots of Vets want to use a doc, such as Dr. Bash, who is very familiar with the VA and what it takes for a valid nexus. Not all docs have experience with VA.

Edited July 6, 2015 by broncovet

[john999]

If you are talking about presumptive AO conditions all you need to show is that your father has them. If he has PD then he is presumptive for AO. If you can match your father's illness with AO presumptive disease that is what you need for a claim. If he has CAD or has had a heart attack that is probably enough for a rating as AO presumptive. Now the degree of the illness and rating are things a IME can sure help you with and also if their is doubt about conditions.

[Berta]

This vet has some more serious issues here 2 pages of topic:

[Raybyrd23]

Berta,

Do you know where I can get a GOOD Go-by for an IMO/IME/NEXUS? My doctor said If I write one up that he will review it and sign it.

Can you help?

Thanks for whatever you can help with,