Workers Comp QME Information for Attorneys

Dr. Gomer is available for medical-legal evaluations for workers compensation cases for AME, QME, IME, and SIBTF evaluations.

Why choose Dr. Gomer for your evaluation? Please see below a message from Dr. Gomer himself.

Dear attorney,

I am very grateful to you for considering me for your medical-legal evaluation. My commitment to you is to adhere to the highest ethical standards in performing my medical-legal evaluations. Medical-legal cases can be very contentious. I appreciate the fact that attorneys are busy professionals, and the last thing they need is to get more work added to their plate due to a poorly written medical-legal report! Most doctors forgot that depositions don’t happen because attorneys are trying to torture a physician, but because of incomplete or unclear information present on a medical report.

Some medical-legal evaluators make the mistake of trying to make both sides happy in a poor or unethical manner. Some evaluators favor one side or another due to their default way of thinking. However, our job is to follow the law and use objective standards of evaluation. What is my philosophy for making both sides happy in a highly contentious matter? To explain my reasoning in detail. I understand that it is often frustrating from an attorney’s perspective to read conclusions in a report without any reasoning or poorly explained reasoning. Though I am a medical doctor in internal medicine and my main job is to be a primary care doctor to my patients, I still carry with me my philosophical training. My academic background is in philosophy, and I trained to be a philosopher. In philosophy, you must always give your reasoning—and not only that, you must reason very well! It would be completely inappropriate to advance a conclusion without creating a tightly reasoned argument. In this way, my fellow attorney, I am like you, and I appreciate that the field of law depends on putting together tight arguments and reasoning your way to a conclusion, not just dropping it Deus ex machina from the sky without any context! Thus, when I handle your evaluation, you have both my medical and philosophical sides working through your case.

Here are some other things that I do that I think should be standard for all medical-legal evaluations:

I actually read attorney cover letters! Have you, as an attorney, ever received a medical report where the evaluator did not even address your basic questions? I read through and note what was actually requested by attorneys. It is not good practice to assume that every case has the same request or same goal. Obviously, there are many similarities between cases, but that often makes physician evaluators assume that the same thing is being asked in every single case. I never make this assumption.

I actually write and compose my report. Though it is sad to say, in this field there are many reports being written by ghost-writers who are not actually doctors. This is both unethical and illegal. My reasoning and my conclusions are completely from me, and I do not use an editor at all—not even for proofreading typos, as I do that myself! Even if for some reason ghost-writers were allowed, they cannot get inside the mind of a doctor and explain the medical reasoning involved in a conclusion. That has to come straight from the doctor. I actually enjoy writing and putting together a great argument.

I actually use the medical records to build an argument for why a conclusion is true. How can we know if an applicant’s hypertension, or diabetes, or heart issue is industrially related? Or how can we tell how to properly apportion an injury to a condition was pre-existing and potentially worsened through work place injury? One must carefully trace the medical issue through prior records and its evolution over time. My reports always include a discussion of the prior medical records so you know what I think of the past medical record.

I actually try to answer all the questions within the scope of my specialty. My training is in internal medicine, which encompasses fields of cardiology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, rheumatology, nephrology, pulmonology, infectious disease, oncology, hematology, and sleep medicine. I regularly work with these fields constantly on the primary care side, and my training took me through each of these fields. I know when further testing may be helpful to help settle a contentious issue. Conversely, I will not issue an unwarranted opinion on fields outside the scope of my specialty (such as surgical fields).

I actually use the AMA Guides. The AMA Guides were written so that there would be an objective reference standard when it came to workers compensation evaluations. I frequently refer to tables, criteria, and examples used in the Guides so that my own reasoning reflects the standards set forth in the Guides.

Finally, I provide clear and actionable recommendations in my report. Do we need further labs, imaging, records, or consultations? They are listed in each of my reports, every single time, and the reasoning for those orders is laid out in detail.

Ultimately, and in summary, my approach to the medical-legal evaluation in a nutshell:

• Be committed to fairness and objectivity, and do not automatically or by default play favorites with any side.

• Respect attorneys’ time by reading and answering cover letters.

• Explain my reasoning in detail.

This is my approach to the medical-legal evaluation.

Thank you again for considering me,

Jeremy Gomer, MD, PhD

Board-Certified Internal Medicine

Philosophy areas of specialization: ethics and epistemology

FAQs

How can I schedule an appointment with Dr. Gomer for a medical-legal evaluation?

Please call (855) 763-4968 to schedule an appointment.

What offices does Dr. Gomer work out of for medical-legal evaluations?

Dr. Gomer’s home offices are Temecula, Menifee, and Lake Elsinore (his primary care locations and offices). AME and QME evaluations can be done here.

Dr. Gomer also performs AME evaluations in Los Angeles. He serves Orange County via his Anaheim office and San Diego County via his San Marcos office (listed below).

• Temecula: 27403 Ynez Road, Suite 108, Temecula CA 9259/

• Menifee: 29798 Haun Road, Suite 209, Menifee, CA 92586

• Lake Elsinore: 31571 Canyon Estates Drive, Lake Elsinore, Suite 225, CA 92532

• Anaheim: 401 W Lincoln Ave, Suite 100, Anaheim CA 92805

• Perris: 524 W 4th St Suite B, Perris, CA 92570

• Riverside: 10236 Indiana Avenue, Riverside CA 92503

• Hemet: 2091 W. Florida Avenue, Suite 120, Hemet CA 92545

• Murrieta: 29990 Hunter Road, Suite 101, Murrieta, CA 92563

• Moreno Valley: 13373 Perris Blvd C205, Moreno Valley, CA 92553

• San Marcos: 811 San Marcos Blvd, San Marcos CA 92078

What medical issues fall within the scope of Dr. Gomer’s medical-legal evaluations?

Common issues that Dr. Gomer deals with in his evaluation include: hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, GERD (acid reflux), COVID-19, pneumonia, heart failure, heart attacks (myocardial infarction), shortness of breath, asthma, COPD, infections, environmental exposures, high cholesterol, hormonal disorders, low testosterone, fatigue, thyroid issues, insomnia, cancer, anemia, elevated hemoglobin, acidosis, alkalosis, elevated white blood cell counts, leukopenia, overweight, obesity, pain, and many other types of issues that fall within the scope of internal medicine.

Is Dr. Gomer willing to talk to attorneys?

Yes, Dr. Gomer is happy to meet with attorneys and law firms. Please contact our office to help arrange a time. (Please note that Dr. Gomer cannot comment specifically about actual medical-legal cases to individual parties due to ex-parte considerations.)

Could I get a copy of Dr. Gomer’s CV?

Yes, please contact our office and we are happy to provide that. Briefly, Dr. Gomer’s background is in internal medicine, obesity medicine, clinical research, and skilled nursing facilities.

What other kinds of medical-legal work does Dr. Gomer do?

Dr. Gomer does IME, QME, AME, as well as personal injury and medical-malpractice. Dr. Gomer has read and studied in the philosophy of law as well as the philosophy of medicine.

What medical-legal company is Dr. Gomer affiliated with?

Dr. Gomer is an independent, self-managed doctor and is not affiliated with any management company. Dr. Gomer’s relationships with attorneys is handled by MedIQElite.

Would Dr. Gomer be willing to shared any samples of his writing?

Yes, our office can supply you with redacted samples of reports so that you may see the kind of work Dr. Gomer produces.

For any other questions, please contact our office, and we are happy to help provide answers to them.