From Referral to Report: Automate Your IME Workflow

  

Independent Medical Evaluations (IMEs) are often bogged down by endless emails, missing records, and deadline pressures. But with the right technology stack, your workflow can become seamless, secure, and dramatically more efficient.

In this complimentary physician-focused webinar, Dr. Chris Brigham and colleagues demonstrate how a connected, HIPAA-compliant digital system can transform every step of the IME process—from the first referral to the final signed report.

Every independent medical evaluation (IME) involves a complex web of referrals, records, and reporting deadlines. Physicians and their teams often struggle with incomplete information, scattered documents, and administrative bottlenecks that compromise both efficiency and accuracy.

This on-demand webinar, originally held on August 7, 2024, reveals how a secure, rules-driven technology stack can transform the IME process into one seamless digital workflow. Presented by Chris Brigham, MD, and colleagues, the session demonstrates how automation—from intake to signed report—streamlines every step of the journey while ensuring HIPAA compliance and protecting patient information.

Participants will see how leading physicians have successfully implemented these systems, including William Grant, MD, who transitioned from a fragmented IME process to a fully integrated workflow that enabled him to reduce turnaround times, minimize administrative effort, and dedicate more time to clinical evaluation.

This webinar is designed for:

  • Physicians providing IME or medicolegal services
  • Administrative teams supporting physician practices
  • IME vendors, claims administrators, and attorneys seeking smoother integration with provider systems

By watching this recording, you’ll gain practical insights into building your own efficient, automated workflow—reclaiming valuable time while enhancing the quality and reliability of your reports.

 

Key Takeaways and Summary

 

Medical-Legal Tech Stack Efficiency

Chris Brigham, MD, introduces a session focused on enhancing efficiency in medical-legal practices through developing a seamless digital process called a tech stack. He notes that attendees are primarily physicians from various specialties, including occupational medicine, orthopedic surgery, physical medicine, psychiatry, and chiropractic, joining from around the world. Chris mentions that while some technologies involve AI, the focus is not specifically on AI use for document analysis and reporting, and he promotes additional resources available at emedicallegal.com, including a program called "Work Smarter, Not Harder" designed to help transform medical-legal practices.

William Grant, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon Workflow Transformation

William Grant, MD, discusses his transition from clinical practice to forensic orthopedics after retiring in 2021, explaining how he developed a more organized system for his medical-legal consulting work. With help from Dr. Brigham and Chris Buna, he implemented a HIPAA-compliant workflow using a website, Dropbox Business, and Jira for case tracking, which significantly reduced his administrative workload. This system allows William to focus 90% of his time on clinical evaluations rather than administration, enabling him to handle more cases efficiently while still enjoying his semi-retirement with family and travel.

Automated Medical Legal Referral System

Chris Buna explains that a tech stack is a series of connected technologies used to run a business operations, and outlines the three-phase system he built for Bill's medical legal practice. The first phase focuses on streamlining referral intake by replacing long email threads with an automated form that collects all necessary information upfront, automatically sends confirmation emails with required documents, creates case management entries in Jira, establishes folder structures, and generates templated reports and retainer invoices. This automation saves significant time at each step of the process, allowing practitioners to either work less for the same income or increase their caseload while maintaining the same working hours.

Jira Case Management Workflow

Chris Buna discusses the case management process using Jira, noting that while they chose it primarily for cost-effective HIPAA compliance, other tools like Monday.com, Asana, Clickup, and Trello are also viable options. William explains that their system is intuitive, with cases moving through columns from intake to completion, with automated features that create tasks, send emails, and generate invoices at appropriate stages. Chris Brigham adds that the system integrates with document analysis services and forces consideration of best practices, while both he and William emphasize that using this structured approach with AI support dramatically decreases processing time while maintaining quality.

Tech Stack Implementation and Automation

Chris Buna explains that successful implementation of their tech stack requires having the right tools and a good team, acknowledging Bill's gratitude for the contributions of Chris Brigham, Waqas, and his administrative assistant. He details their case management system which includes automated task lists sent daily to Bill, and their billing process which automates invoice creation, acknowledgment, and payment reminders to avoid chasing payments. Chris Brigham then introduces their sponsor, Smart Medical History, an AI-powered platform for improving patient interviews, offering features like scheduling, transcription, and report access in English or Spanish.

Medical Legal Consulting Automation Systems

William discusses how he would have spent more time on medical legal consulting if he had known about the free market opportunities and had systems to decrease administrative work. He explains that having such a system would have given him more control over his career compared to dealing with insurance companies and government regulations. Chris Brigham notes that tech stacks and automation would benefit not just physicians but also IME companies, attorneys, and smaller insurance companies handling workers' compensation cases. William credits Dr. Waqas Buttar for helping establish his system, and Brigham discusses AI document management systems and the importance of proper security protocols when using AI in medicolegal work.

AI Medical Interview System Demonstration

Chris Brigham praises Bill's work as cutting-edge and worth replicating. Chris Buna offers to help others implement similar AI systems, mentioning the significant hard costs involved in Bill's two-year development process and extending a special offer to those who reach out. The group then shares a 5-minute demonstration of an AI-based medical interview system called "Smart Medical History," which shows a virtual interviewer collecting patient information about injuries and health history before appointments. Chris Brigham concludes by thanking the team members and attendees.

If you have any questions or require any assistance, please email Dr. Waqas Buttar at [email protected]

Christopher R. Brigham, MD

Your course director is Christopher R. Brigham, MD, MMS, FACOEM, FIAIME. He is an internationally recognized expert in occupational medicine, impairment evaluation, and disability assessment. With over 40 years of experience, and a background in technology, he has led the development of AMA Guides, authored 300+ publications, and consulted globally on medico-legal issues. He is a sought-after speaker, educator, and thought leader on evidence-based medicolegal practice.Â