What To Do If You Are Asked To Take A Consultative Exam

Call the insurance company. Speak with the person who sent you the notice about the Consultative Exam. Ask if she or he will contact the doctor for you to arrange your being able to record the session and/or to bring a person with you. The request is not only reasonable, but it is becoming more and more common for patients to record and/or bring an advocate to appointments with doctors.

If the company won't speak with the doctor, of if it does, cannot convince him or her to agree to your request, perhaps the insurer would recommend another doctor who is more agreeable to your requests.

If no company approved doctor will allow you to record the appointment or to have another person present, one alternative is to refuse the exam. However, this will likely stop action on your benefits. If you choose this route, consider writing or at least calling the insurance company.

• Tell the company that you "were willing to take the physical exam" but were refused permission to document the physical. You would like for the insurer to explain why you were refused.
• Offer to take the exam as long as you can record it or understand why it cannot be recorded.
• Send the letter to the insurance company by e mail or fax, with a hard copy by mail, preferably return receipt requested. Send a copy to the doctor. Keep copies of the letter and any response.

Another alternative is to take the exam. If you do, follow the guidelines discussed in the above section: How To Protect Yourself Whether You See Your Own or The Insurance Company's Doctor? In addition:

• Ask the doctor to write a note confirming that she would not allow you to document it and why. If she is unwilling to put this in writing, it is even more important that you immediately write down all that you remember of the exam including the doctor's refusal.
• Note how much (or little) observation was made of your symptoms and how much the doctor relied on your own statements. For example, if one of your symptoms was shoulder pain, did the doctor have you lift and stretch and move the shoulder around while watching how you reacted -- or did she just have you lift it once and start writing.
• Note what the doctor said. For example, if the doctor said "that looks painful" when you lifted your arm -- note it.

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