Understand the key aspects of being a videographer for an IME and the differences between them and other legal proceedings.
Download Steno's IME Video Worksheet Template here.
You are required to use this template for all Steno IME jobs
- For non-IME Steno jobs, please refer to this page for the non-IME video worksheet and additional details.
Table of Contents
What is an Independent Medical Examination (IME)?
How do I handle an IME as a Videographer?
What is an Independent Medical Examination (IME)?
In a personal injury case, an Independent Medical Examination (IME) is a medical evaluation by a third-party/neutral physician to determine the severity of a plaintiff's injuries and the validity of their claims. IMEs are usually requested by the defending party or by an insurance company.
These jobs can also be called "Compulsory Medical Examinations (CMEs)".
How do I handle an IME as a Videographer?
Compared to a normal video-recorded deposition, a few key differences exist in an IME when it comes to:
- Who will be appearing
- Who leads the proceeding
- What needs to be video recorded, and how
Who will appear at an IME?
The two main participants who will be appearing at an IME are the third-party evaluating doctor/physician and the plaintiff who will be getting medically assessed.
It is highly unlikely that attorneys representing clients or a court reporter will appear for these types of proceedings, but plaintiff parties do have a right to request that their attorneys and a court reporter be present.
IF an attorney is present, they will only be there to observe and protect their client. The examining physician will still be the one leading and asking questions to the plaintiff.
Attorneys typically order video recordings of IMEs to ensure the exam is conducted fairly and to potentially dispute the doctor’s credibility or conclusions. Consequently, you should keep both the doctor and the patient in frame as much as possible; however, when this is not possible, you should prioritize recording the doctor.
You will not need to take video orders at the end of the examination.
Similarly, there is no need to sync times if there is no court reporter.
Videographer Set-Up
For a typical orthopedic IME, you will want to keep your camera mobile to follow the doctor and patient during the exam. We recommend using a monopod. Please keep camera shake to a minimum.
Ideally, the examining doctor and the patient should both be in the frame for the entire recording. However, if that is not possible, the doctor should be the most important person to record.
On rare occasions when a doctor is performing a psychological evaluation (often for a neuropsychological exam), the doctor may require the videographer to leave the exam room during the evaluation. In this situation, you must set up your camera on a tripod and be equipped to externally monitor the video and audio feed from outside the exam room.
No Videographer Read-In / Read-Off
There is NO official videographer read-in/off for these types of jobs. You will not be required to state the time when the recording starts and stops verbally.
You must still record on/off record times in your IME videographer worksheet.
What if the doctor/physician won't allow the recording to proceed?
If the doctor performing the IME refuses to allow you as the videographer to record the exam, then:
- Contact Steno to let us know that the doctor is not allowing the recording to proceed
- Call our Steno Depo Support Tech Line: 888.404.0390
- Stay at the location of the examination until Steno gives you the go-ahead from the client to leave.
Related Articles
How to Complete the Steno Video Worksheet
Steno Legal Videography: Professional Standards & Technical Guide