IME report software checklist: 20 questions to ask before you buy
How to use this: pick the section for the job you're buying for. Ask every question in writing. A vendor that won't answer in writing has answered.
Limits: vendor facts come from vendor websites, read 2026-11-08, and were not tested by us. Prices change. How we checked.
Security and contracts (ask every vendor)
- Will you sign a Business Associate Agreement, and when: at signup or after a sales cycle?
- Do our records ever train your models or anyone else's? Where does the contract say so?
- Which outside services touch the records (OCR, AI models, transcription), and in which country do they run?
- What security audits do you hold today, and can we see the report under NDA? Ask for the audit, not a "compliant" badge.
- How do we get every file and report back if we leave, and how fast are records deleted?
Scheduling and case management
- Does it track each referral from intake to invoice, with deadline alerts per jurisdiction?
- Can clients submit referrals and download reports through a portal?
- How does it handle addenda when new records arrive after the report is out?
Record intake and review
- Are duplicate pages removed before we're charged?
- Does every line of the summary cite a source page we can click?
- How long does a 2,000-page file take, start to finish?
- What happens to handwritten notes and poor scans: flagged, skipped or guessed?
- Can we ask follow-up questions about the file and get page-cited answers?
Dictation and drafting
- Can it use our own report template and our clients' formats, not just the vendor's?
- Does the draft keep a page citation on every factual sentence pulled from the records?
- Does it ever write opinions (causation, MMI, apportionment)? The right answer is no.
- Does it export to Word so we can edit freely before signing?
Price: per page, per case, per seat or subscription
- Is the price per page, per case, per seat or a subscription? What does a 2,000-page file cost all-in?
- Is there a setup fee, minimum term or minimum monthly spend?
- Can we run a real case before paying?
The 1-week trial plan
Use a closed file you already wrote the report for. You know the answers, so you can grade the tool instead of trusting it.
| Day | Do this | Write down |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Upload the full file, duplicates included. | The page count the vendor bills against |
| Day 2 | Check 20 random summary lines against their cited pages. | How many of 20 match |
| Day 3 | Check the 5 facts your report actually turned on. | How many of 5 the tool found |
| Day 4 | Build a draft in your template. | Minutes from upload to usable draft |
| Day 5 | Compare total hours with what the original report took. | Hours saved: that number is the business case |
If 1 of the 20 spot-checked lines cites the wrong page, that's a warning. If 3 do, stop the trial.
Questions about choosing and trialing IME software
How long should an IME software trial take?
1 working week on 1 closed file is enough to grade record review and drafting. Scheduling platforms need longer, because their value shows up over many referrals.
Why test on a closed file?
You already know which pages and facts mattered, so you can check the tool's output instead of trusting it. A new file only tells you the tool produced something.
What if a vendor won't sign a BAA?
Don't upload claimant records. Under HIPAA, a vendor that handles protected health information for you needs a Business Associate Agreement first. See the glossary.
What's a fair price to pay for record review?
Published plans put a 2,000-page file at about $100 to $340 with self-serve software and $500 or more with a service, for the summary alone. The pricing page has each vendor's figure and the date we captured it.
Which questions matter most for a solo examiner?
Questions 1, 9, 10, 16 and 20 (terms explained in the glossary, more answers in the FAQ): the BAA, duplicate billing, page citations, no machine-written opinions, and a real case before paying.