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What Is a CME (Compulsory Medical Exam)? What to Expect
Elite Sports Medicine ·
A CME, or compulsory medical examination, is a formal medical assessment of an injury, carried out because a legal, insurance, employment or workers’ compensation matter needs an independent evaluation. If you have been told to attend one, it helps to know that it is an evaluation, not a doctor’s visit in the usual sense.
Why you might be asked to have one
A CME is usually requested to verify the details of an injury for legal, insurance or workers’ compensation documentation. The questions it answers are typically:
- What is the medically verifiable condition?
- What functional limitations does it cause?
- Was it caused by the reported event, or is it degenerative?
- What is the likely prognosis, and what work can safely be done?
What happens during the exam
The physician reviews your medical records, discusses your symptoms, and performs a physical examination of the injured area. Imaging and prior treatment notes are reviewed as part of the same assessment. In an orthopedic CME that usually means the shoulder, knee, hip or spine, the joints most often involved in accident and workplace claims.
A CME is not treatment
The examining physician evaluates and reports. They do not provide treatment or take you on as an ongoing patient. That separation is what lets the report be neutral.
What to bring
- Imaging (MRI or X-ray)
- Previous medical reports
- Any documentation related to the injury
The report
After the exam, the physician writes a structured report covering the condition, functional limitations, causation and prognosis. It is written for attorneys, insurers, employers and claim reviewers to rely on. Reports are typically returned in 7 to 14 business days, depending on how complex the case is.
CME vs. IME
The two are close cousins: both are independent evaluations rather than care. The term “compulsory” reflects that the exam is required as part of a legal or claims process. For more on independent medical examinations, see our IME page.
ELITE Sports Medicine performs orthopedic compulsory medical examinations, carried out by a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, in Port St. Lucie and Palm Beach Gardens. Call 561-202-8886 to schedule.