We were all surprised when worksafe produced a new fee schedule as of 1 April, 2019. We had complained for years about the poor remuneration compared with other jurisdictions and the failure to respond to our concerns. There were ridiculous fees like being paid little over $40 for reading documentation. Out of the blue a new fee schedule for psychiatrists was sent to IMEs in April 2019. I suspect this is because IMEs have been leaving in droves and worksafe have recognised that there is less and less incentive to be involved in the system, not only because of the poor fee structure but also because of the bureaucracy, the sudden cancellation of appointments, the inadequate time to review paperwork and the resultant strained relationship. It will be interesting to see what happens to the retention of IMEs.
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