Medical Exams & Evaluations

An Independent Medical Exam, or IME, is a medical evaluation the insurance carrier or your employer arranges — not one you choose or requested.

Independent Medical Exam (IME) in Arizona Workers' Compensation Claims

If you're receiving or claiming workers' compensation benefits in Arizona, the insurance carrier or your employer has a legal right to send you to a doctor of their choosing to evaluate your injury. That doctor isn't your treating physician, and their opinion can directly affect whether your benefits continue, change, or stop. Arizona law gives you real rights in this process — including bringing your own doctor and receiving a copy of the report — but several of those rights come with short deadlines that are easy to miss if you don't know they exist.

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The carrier must give you at least 15 days' notice of the exam's time, date, place, and the examining physician's name (Ariz. Admin. Code R20-5-114(A))

You may bring your own physician to observe the exam, at your own expense (A.R.S. §23-1026(B))

You have only 3 days after receiving notice to file a Motion for Protective Order objecting to the exam (Ariz. Admin. Code R20-5-114(E))

Quick answer

Quick Answer

An IME is a medical exam the Industrial Commission, your employer, or the insurance carrier can require you to attend under A.R.S. §23-1026(A) if you may be entitled to compensation. You'll get at least 15 days' notice, you can bring your own doctor at your own cost, and the carrier must give you a copy of the report as soon as it receives one.

If you skip the exam or interfere with it, your compensation is suspended until you go — no benefits are payable for that period under A.R.S. §23-1026(C). If you have a real objection to the exam (wrong location, unnecessary, duplicative), you generally need to raise it within 3 days of getting the notice, not later.

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Overview

What an IME Is and Why the Carrier Can Require One

An Independent Medical Exam is not, in practice, an exam by a neutral third party you'd naturally trust the way you trust your own doctor. Under A.R.S. §23-1026(A), the Industrial Commission, your employer, or the insurance carrier can require a worker who may be entitled to compensation to submit to a medical examination "from time to time," at a place that's reasonably convenient. The exam is arranged and paid for by whichever party requested it, and the examining physician is selected by that party — usually the insurance carrier.

Scheduling isn't left entirely to the carrier's convenience. A.R.S. §23-1026(B) requires that the time and place be set with regard to your convenience and physical condition, and the statute now allows the exam to be conducted by telehealth if you consent to that format. Separately, Ariz. Admin. Code R20-5-114(A) requires the requesting party to serve you (or your attorney, if you have one) with written notice of the exam's time, date, place, and the examining physician's identity at least 15 days before the appointment.

You are not required to go into an IME alone if you don't want to. A.R.S. §23-1026(B) specifically allows you to have a physician present at the exam, as long as you procure and pay for that physician yourself. This can matter if you're concerned about how an exam is conducted or what gets documented, since your own doctor can observe firsthand rather than relying only on the IME physician's written report.

The statute itself is silent on whether you get a copy of the IME report — that gap is filled by Ariz. Admin. Code R20-5-114(D), which requires the carrier to provide you (or your authorized representative) with a copy of the report immediately upon receiving it. There's one narrow exception: if the exam concerns a mental condition and you're unrepresented, the report may go to your treating physician instead of directly to you.

Process

What to Do When You Receive an IME Notice

Check the notice against the 15-day requirement in Ariz. Admin. Code R20-5-114(A) — it should specify the exact date, time, location, and the name of the examining physician.
Decide early whether you want your own physician present under A.R.S. §23-1026(B). Because you're responsible for arranging and paying for that physician, this needs to happen before the exam date, not the morning of.
If you have a genuine objection — the exam seems unnecessary, duplicative of a prior exam, or scheduled somewhere far from where you live — act immediately. Ariz. Admin. Code R20-5-114(E) gives you only 3 days after receiving notice to file a Motion for Protective Order, and A.R.S. §23-1026(F) is what allows an administrative law judge to excuse you from the exam on those grounds.
Unless a protective order has actually been granted, attend the exam as scheduled. Refusing or obstructing it suspends your compensation under A.R.S. §23-1026(C), regardless of how legitimate your underlying objection might have been.
Follow up on the report. The carrier's obligation under R20-5-114(D) is to provide a copy "immediately upon receipt," so once enough time has passed that a report should exist, ask your adjuster or attorney whether one has been received.
If the IME findings conflict with what your treating physician has documented, don't assume the IME opinion automatically controls your case — that kind of conflict is often the starting point for a medical dispute or a hearing request.

Benefits and value

How an IME Can Affect Your Benefits

Refusing or obstructing the exam doesn't just delay things — A.R.S. §23-1026(C) suspends your right to compensation entirely until the exam takes place, and no benefits are payable during or for that suspended period.
The IME physician can be required to testify about their findings under A.R.S. §23-1026(D), and that testimony can carry real weight in decisions about your ongoing temporary or permanent disability benefits.
If you unreasonably fail to attend a scheduled IME, Ariz. Admin. Code R20-5-114(B) allows the requesting party to charge you for the missed appointment or deduct that cost from your disability compensation.
Getting your copy of the report under R20-5-114(D) matters because it's what allows your treating physician (or an attorney) to review the findings and respond to them before they shape a decision about your benefits — not after.

Common risks

Common Pitfalls With IMEs

Missing the 3-day window to object. Ariz. Admin. Code R20-5-114(E) doesn't leave much room — if you wait a week to decide whether the exam location or timing is a problem, the opportunity to file a Motion for Protective Order may already be gone.
Treating the IME physician as neutral. The exam is arranged and paid for by the party that requested it, most often the insurance carrier, and the resulting report reflects that physician's independent medical judgment — not necessarily an outcome favorable to you.
Deciding to skip the exam instead of raising an objection through the proper channel. Outright refusal triggers automatic suspension of compensation under A.R.S. §23-1026(C), even when the underlying concern about the exam was legitimate.
Waiting until the exam date to arrange your own observing physician. Because A.R.S. §23-1026(B) puts the cost and arrangement on you, this has to be lined up in advance.
Not following up when a report doesn't arrive. The carrier's duty to hand over a copy under R20-5-114(D) is triggered by its own receipt of the report, so a worker who isn't tracking this can be unaware a report exists, or unaware it disagrees with their treating physician, until it's already affecting a benefits decision.

Why legal help matters

How a Workers' Comp Attorney Can Help With an IME

Because the deadline to object to an IME under Ariz. Admin. Code R20-5-114(E) is only 3 days, an attorney's most immediate value is often simply reviewing the notice quickly enough to determine whether a Motion for Protective Order is worth filing before that window closes.

An attorney can also help arrange for your own physician to attend the exam under A.R.S. §23-1026(B), review the IME report once it arrives under R20-5-114(D), and compare it against your treating physician's records to identify where the findings genuinely conflict.

If an IME report is used to challenge or reduce your benefits, that disagreement typically needs to be addressed through the formal medical dispute or hearing process rather than informally — an attorney can advise on which route fits your situation and what evidence supports your side.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I refuse to attend an IME in Arizona?

You can decline, but A.R.S. §23-1026(C) suspends your right to compensation until the exam actually happens — no benefits are payable during or for that period. If you have a real objection, the better path is usually to request a protective order rather than simply refusing to show up.

How much notice do I get before an IME?

At least 15 days. Ariz. Admin. Code R20-5-114(A) requires the party requesting the exam to serve you or your attorney with written notice specifying the time, date, place, and the name of the examining physician.

Can I bring my own doctor to the IME?

Yes. A.R.S. §23-1026(B) allows you to have a physician present at the exam, as long as you arrange for and pay for that physician yourself.

Am I entitled to a copy of the IME report?

Yes. Ariz. Admin. Code R20-5-114(D) requires the carrier to provide you, or your authorized representative, a copy of the report immediately upon receiving it. The one exception involves mental-condition exams of unrepresented workers, where the report may instead go to the treating physician.

What if I think the IME is unnecessary or scheduled too far from where I live?

You can ask an administrative law judge to excuse you under A.R.S. §23-1026(F) if the exam is unnecessary, cumulative, or could reasonably be scheduled somewhere closer to home. To raise this, Ariz. Admin. Code R20-5-114(E) requires filing a Motion for Protective Order within 3 days of receiving the exam notice, and the requesting party then has 3 days to respond.

What happens if I simply miss the appointment?

Your compensation is suspended under A.R.S. §23-1026(C) until the exam is completed, and under R20-5-114(B), if the failure to attend is considered unreasonable, you can also be charged for the missed appointment or have that cost deducted from your disability compensation.

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