AMA Guides® Newsletter - Issue Archive

Articles

1. Undiagnosed Mental Illness as the Cause of General Medical Disability Claims

   Robert J. Barth

   Pages 1–3, 8-11

   DOI: 10.1001/amaguidesnewsletters.2006.NovDec01

   Abstract

   The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides) warns physicians against minimizing psychiatric impairments but does not elaborate on this warning against minimizing the contribution of psychological factors to general medical impairment. Claims regarding spinal impairment are a useful example because the AMA Guides cites a study showing there is no general medical explanation for 85% of low-back pain cases. The list of mental illnesses that are commonly associated with complaints of physical pain includes somatoform, mood, anxiety, personality, psychotic factitious, and substance-related disorders. In one study, anxiety disorders accounted for 54% of the variance in pain severity reports and associated claims of disability. Psychological dysfunction leads only to subjective complaints such as pain but also can lead to objective physiological signs, for example, mental illness such as panic disorder, which includes objectively verifiably physical signs such as heart palpitations, sweating, and tremor. Claims of disability also have been associated with hypertension, cardiac issues, concussion, multiple sclerosis, and psoriasis. To credibly assess the possibility of mental illness as the cause of a general medical impairment claim is extremely demanding, and evaluators should think of the evaluation process in terms of days rather than hours. The steps in an evaluation protocol should mirror those described in the March/April 2005 issue of The Guides Newsletter and are summarized in the present article.
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2. Impairment Tutorial: Rating Tears of the Acetabular Labrum

   Charles N. Brooks, Richard E. Strain, James B. Talmage

   Pages 4–7

   DOI: 10.1001/amaguidesnewsletters.2006.NovDec02

   Abstract

   The primary function of the acetabular labrum, like that of the glenoid, is to deepen the socket and improve joint stability. Tears of the acetabular labrum are common in older adults but occur in all age groups and with equal frequency in males and females. The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides), Fifth Edition, is silent about rating tears, partial or complete excision, or repair of the acetabular labrum. Provocative tests to detect acetabular labrum tears involve hip flexion and rotation; all rely on production of pain in the groin (typically), clicking, and/or locking with passive or active hip motions. Diagnostic tests or procedures rely on x-rays, conventional arthrography, computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance arthrography (MRA), and hip arthroscopy. Hip arthroscopy is the gold standard for diagnosis but is the most invasive and most likely to result in complications, and MRA is about three times more sensitive and accurate in detecting acetabular labral tears than MRI alone. Surgical treatment for acetabular labrum tears usually consists of arthroscopic debridement; results tend to be better in younger patients. In general, an acetabular labral tear, partial labrectomy, or labral repair warrants a rating of 2% lower extremity impairment. Evaluators should avoid double dipping (eg, using both a Diagnosis-related estimates and limited range-of-motion tests).
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3. Questions and Answers

   Christopher R. Brigham, James B. Talmage, Charles Brooks

   Pages 11–15

   DOI: 10.1001/amaguidesnewsletters.2006.NovDec03