QME vs AME: your questions answered
Both are California medical-legal evaluators. A QME is certified by the state and assigned from a panel when the parties cannot agree on an evaluator. An AME, or Agreed Medical Evaluator, is a physician both sides accept by agreement, usually where counsel is involved. The examination and report content are similar; how the evaluator is chosen, and how much weight the opinion carries in practice, differ.
QME vs AME questions
Short, direct answers. The deeper explanation lives in the guide linked above.
What is the difference between a QME and an AME?
Selection. A QME comes from a panel issued by the state when the parties do not agree on an evaluator. An AME is a physician the applicant's and defendant's representatives agree on. Because the parties chose the AME together, that opinion is generally harder to dispute later.
Is an AME better than a QME?
Neither is inherently better; they suit different situations. Panel QMEs exist because agreement is not always possible, particularly in unrepresented cases. AMEs are common where both sides have counsel and want to avoid a contested evaluation. The report itself still has to address the same statutory questions.
Can the same physician act as both a QME and an AME?
Yes, a certified evaluator can serve as a panel QME in one case and as an agreed evaluator in another. What changes is how the assignment arose, which is normally stated at the top of the report and in the dictation.
Do QME and AME reports look different?
They share the same backbone: history, records reviewed, examination findings, diagnoses, causation, permanent and stationary status, whole person impairment and apportionment. The header, the statement of how the evaluator was appointed, and which questions the parties posed are the parts that vary, and both need to be typed exactly as dictated.
What is AME vs QME transcription in practice?
The same California template discipline for both, with the appointment details and posed questions carried through accurately. Impairment figures, apportionment percentages and record citations are the passages we flag for physician review rather than guess at.
Where does an IME fit alongside QME and AME?
IME is the nationwide umbrella term. QME and AME are California's two routes to an evaluator. An IME in New York, Florida or Ohio serves the same purpose under different rules and forms.
Do you transcribe AME dictation overnight?
Yes, with 24-hour standard turnaround and an 18-hour STAT option. We confirm the return time against the actual audio length when you send the file.