Many large insurance companies use the Colossus software to determine how much they will offer to pay to settle a personal injury case. The software inputs a variety of factors that can either increase or decrease the value of a claim, with certain factors carrying an outsized influence on the calculations. One of the factors that are among the most significant upward drivers of value for a claim is a permanent impairment designation.
Colossus utilizes the American Medical Association's (AMA) Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment to evaluate claims of personal impairment. The AMA defines permanent impairment as an injury or illness resulting in long-term loss of a body part or reduction of body function. Once a patient has reached Maximum Medical Improvement, physicians use the AMA Guides to assess a patient's impairment and document findings, according to the AMA. Under this system, there are certain injuries that, by themselves, automatically come with a permanency rating. For example, a fracture of the lumbar spine carries a permanency rating under the AMA guidelines, even if it may not require long-term treatment.
Getting the impairment rating early is critical as insurers will use records reflecting a missing rating to reduce any later impairment rating. Many lawyers often also have medical specialists who are knowledgeable about the AMA guidelines that they will refer clients to for the purposes of completing the necessary evaluations.
It is critical that you have an attorney who understands personal impairment and the ratings system at hand when looking to maximize settlement value on your personal injury claim.
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