I have my W/C AME in Tustin, Ca with Dr Richard Woods... Has anyone heard of him? I had ment to ask earlier but my wonderful forgetful TOS memorie failed me...
The ortho who did the spinal surgery said he is very fair but I was curious if any of the So Cal folks had ever heard of him...
Hugs
Dawn

Dr. Woods is considered by most as the number 1 or 2 best ortho surgeon in OC / Riverside area. However, he is also somewhat defense oriented. Having said that, on two cases I had, he was very applicant sided! I think the best ortho surgeon is Dr. Danzig, but he is very defense oriented in his reports. Anopther great surgeon is Dr. Carlos Prietto.

I can't write out all of my AME suggestions (as a friend for the millionth time) but I would suggest that you make sure ahead of time that your attorney gets ALL of your med reports in order and to him. (This should have already been done about a month ago.) You'd check this by going in and asking to see the meds report list prepared by the secretary. You'd match that to your own records or memory. You'd supplement what wasn't there.

Make sure you giave an accurate history to the AME's historian. If the person doesn't ask you an important question / fact, make sure to give it to the person anyways.

In CA you can't take a witness or a tape in with you, unless the doc allows it which is unusual and would be taken as weird / paranoid.

The AME is either deciding ALL issues, or on occasion just a limited issue. Thus, the AME has a LOT of power - more than the other docs, by your own agreement via your attorney. So you don't want to offend, alienate or otherwise prejudice this person or staff. Thus you'd be polite, listen carefully to questions, don't talk bad about other docs (you can state a disagreement with opinions without showing malice), wear comfortable, clean, "pull-up" type clothes. Don't wear a jewelry. Don't say you "can't" do something when it's actually PAINFUL to do it. But, if you cannot do something, like when I get that paralysis, then that it "can't." Use your pain scale of 1-10. Try not to cry - you don't want to be described as hysterical. Try not to refuse things - like some people would come in all wrapped up in gauze and refuse to take it off, or refuse to let someone touch them. That all ends up seeming like the person has a mental problem, rather than what we all have.

Make sure to get your report and read every word - if there is a fact wrong, tell your attorney. Ask your attorney to explain anything you don't understand and especially what it rates, what your restrictions are. Most AME reports can take 60 days to be typed up. Often one will see an AME twice - not every time is one made "Permanent and Stationary" (done with active treatment and improvement) the first time they are seen. Sometimes the AME wants more info. or more treatment.

Anyways, if you have questions, feel free to call me as a friend, I think you've got my number.

For everyone, ask your attorney to advise you on the AME issues / how to handle it / how it affects your case. Anything I say is just as a friend and is not legal advice.

Good luck!!!!

Tam, Thank you so much for all your information...

Then can I take medical records from home to him? In the letter that he sent it said to include "All" medical treatment to date. Would that include non industrial such as the RSD etc that have not been included in my claim?

Once again, Thank you for all the information...

Hugs
Dawn

YOu need to check with your attorney, BUT, my understanding is the AME medicals must be agreed upon months before hand by BOTH attorneys by letter, then, one side or the other makes up the copies according to the list and delivers the meds to the doctor and the patient CANNOT give the AME anything. (That is unless both sides had previously agreed patient needed to deliver something.) There can be no "unilateral" giving of info. - it must be by both sides.

So again, what you do is check what is on that meds list that both sides is agreeing upon or has agreed upon, make sure it's complete, and for ME, I like MY attorney to do the copying and delivering because the other side really doesn't care about being complete, especially if those reports are ALL in my favor. And of course you can bring it up to your attorney, "hey, you forgot this" and I'd ask that it be added by contacting the other side, letting them know in writing, and then having it delivered (via orvernight mail) to the doc.

Having said that, I don't want to step on any toes, as every attorney or area may have special rules, that's why I always say that this is my experience, now take it to your attorney and ask about it.

If you have a fax, you could ask that the meds list be faxed to you - right? Or you just have to go in and take a look. This is very proactive, but my attorney was thankful - fiance in fact made all of the meds list and packet of meds, so my attorney was VERY thankful not to do the work. The other side had only received about 1/2 of the meds, so they would have been incomplete. (I'm talking about court, but if there had been an AME, the result would've been the same.)

The rest of my experience is just basic common sense on not alienating the doctor. The doctor's attitude may seem cold or even rude - don't let that get to you, as the report could still come out quite on your side - these docs often times don't let their feelings be shown at all. Likewise, beware the smiling cheshire cat - the doc smiles as he asks you questions that are designed to destroy you. My opposing QME asked a lot about my kids - I realized his intent was not small talk, but he thought I was quitting work to take care of grandkids! (I don't have any.) Not that I would have lied, I wouldn't have - but that's why I say listen to the question carefully and answer only that question, it's so important to your situation that you end up with an accurate picture in the doc's mind.

Likewise, don't every lie - as an attorney, I can "fix" just about anything. Leave the strategy to the attorney, you just be honest. I can't tell you how many times someone would lie about something that really would not have mattered, but their lying did. That's why having an attorney, and telling the attorney everything that you have done and now do is so important, prior to all of these exams and deposition.

Again, call me if you need a friend.

Love to you!

OK, guys, take it to the W/C forum or take it private.

i'm not trying to be rude here.

tam, i think it is wonderful that you are feeling well enough to actively participate on neurotalk again. you have been sorely missed! and your legal expertise in this area is amazingly helpful to so many here, what a godsend. you are very generous to share it.

i just have a thing about "bleeding between boards"... a personal gripe, if you will.

dawn, you know i love you to pieces and would do anything for you. but this type of exchange is best done either privately or on the legal forum, in my opinion. so you need to ask these questions directly of your own attorney - look to tam as a friend, and as back-up, yes...just not on here, OK? if you don't feel prepared for the court dates, then maybe get a continuance of some sort.

enough said. this is just my feeling on it, guys.

thanks for listening.

alison

Sorry to have ruffled feathers... I didn't mean to cause a problem only ask a question.. I saw no harm in my question.. I see others asking off the topic questions all the time I just wondered about the Doc and I am well prepared..
I'm off to bed now.. I have a raging headache!!!!!
Topic Closed.....

I wish I had found the forums at the beginning of my WC claims -
Tam mentions many things that could have helped make a better case for me - the organizing and copies of all documents & bills, I would have changed to a better atty & drs.
I was pretty much trusting that atty & docs knew what the heck they were doing and that it all would be handled with out too much input from me - NOT!!!

In my thoughts it it very much on topic for this forum.
But due to privacy or legal issues certain info is better sent via PM.

Hope your headache goes away soon Dawn

guys, all i was trying to say, is to my way of thinking anyhow, the reason we have a W/C forum in the first place is to discuss topics exactly like this one.

that's all i meant. not a complicated concept or trying to be difficult or anything.

because chronic pain makes all of our lives so messy, doesn't it, and we already have that to contend with - let's keep it simple here, was my point. it's a really good thing that neurotalk provides us with discreet, separate forums in which to discuss aspects in which each of us has been affected, i think, and at different points along the way in our respective journeys.

the other thing is, not all of us have W/C cases pending, or any litigation for that matter. so the point i was trying to make there was simply that i think it might be "cleaner" to try and keep the TOS forum for discussing things pertaining primarily to TOS, the W/C forum for things relating primarily to W/C, and for that matter, the RSD forum for things connected primarily to RSD.

of course you are going to get some cross-over, and i believe that people copy posts in more than one forum all the time, for that very reason.

i did not mean to imply that anything was inappropriate. it was a great thread, the board's been hot lately! and dawn is absolutely right, each one of us has been "guilty" of posting about off-topic stuff at one time or another, let's be honest. that keeps us on our toes, keeps us entertained, too, and keeps it real. but if you're going to start a thread specifcally about an issue, i guess my concern would be that you give some thought as to what the MOST appropriate forum to post it in might be (or if a PM or a phone call might not serve your needs better, or even make the friendly 'expert' you have your eye on most comfortable...)

don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, either, because everybody has so much to contribute and it's all about helping each other through the TOS MESS, in my view. part of recovery from...and coming out the other side of 'de monster.

neurotalk is awesome. i have to assume the format, though, is constructed the way it is for a reason. i was just trying to respect that.

no harm.

alison

Alison,

I respect your right to voice your opinion. But I don't agree.

TOS raises special issues with our doctors. We all know that. It also raises different and special issues in work comp processes - we all talk about how hard it is to get treatment, implants, etc. It would be near to impossible to divide the two for me.

I don't post on the work comp board because I don't want to be a reference point for the entire NEuroTalk forum. I don't want to argue process there. I don't want to research laws, etc.

And I always say, you have to talk to your own attorney, you have to figure out your own strategy. I am hoping JUST that I give food for thought, and it's impossible for me to post as a person with a past with my own experiences and leave anything even slightly "legal" out. I mean, this is about ME, when I post.

It's really hard to have TOS, and it's another layer of "stuff" to have us deal with Social Security docs, ins. docs, pain mgt. docs, and yes, w/c docs.

Just skip over me if I'm too verbose or not relevant to you, please. I never mean to be offensive to anyone.

We sort of got side-tracked, but the question was:

Does anyone know R. Woods in Tustin who will be Dawn's AME? Any experiences?