# WA IME Program Guide > Washington IME guide: L&I Medical Examiners' Handbook, WAC 296-23-382, report content, telehealth MARFS. Verified 2026-08-15. Canonical page: https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/wa/ --- [Content Hub](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/) › States ## WA IME Program Guide Washington's IME program is governed by the L&I Medical Examiners' Handbook, which specifies required report content, work-relatedness analysis, and physical-capacity estimates. 2 sections·3 sources·Verified 2026-08-15 ✓ 01 ### Program overview The Medical Examiners' Handbook (F252-001-000, 07-2024) defines required IME report content, sample reports, work-relatedness assessment for occupational disease, and the doctor's estimate of physical capacities. 02 ### Report requirements WAC 296-23-382 requires IME reports to contain objective, sound, and sufficient medical information; document the claim documents reviewed; and record the worker's history and clinical findings. Rating basis by jurisdiction — 10 states profiled [California — QME — Labor Code § 4660(b)(1) — **AMA Guides 5th** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/ca/) [Pennsylvania — IRE — 34 Pa. Code § 123.105; Act 142 — **AMA Guides 6th** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/pa/) [Tennessee — IR training — State-approved training list — **AMA Guides 6th** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/tn/) [Colorado — DIME — Rule 11 — **Edition set by agency** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/co/) [Ohio — IME / DME — BWC policy — **Edition set by agency** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/oh/) [Texas — Designated Doctor — 28 TAC 130.1 — **Edition set by agency** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/tx/) Washington — IME — L&I Medical Examiners' Handbook — **Edition set by agency** [Florida — IRE / Schedule — 1996 Florida Impairment Rating Schedule — **State schedule, not AMA** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/fl/) [New York — IME / SLU — 2018 SLU guidelines — **State schedule, not AMA** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/ny/) [Arizona — DME — No canonical state source verified — **Not confirmed** ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/az/) Washington runs a **IME** programme and rates on **edition set by agency** (L&I Medical Examiners' Handbook). The rating standard is set by the jurisdiction, not by the examiner, so the same clinical findings can produce different numbers across the 10 states profiled here. ### Key facts | Program | IME | | --- | --- | | Agency | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries | | Statute / rules | WAC 296-23-382 (IME report content) | | AMA Guides edition | AMA Guides (edition per L&I — verify current) | | Edition basis | L&I Medical Examiners' Handbook | | MMI rules | Detailed in the Medical Examiners' Handbook; report content per WAC 296-23-382 | | Key forms | IME report templates in the Medical Examiners' Handbook | | Fee schedule | L&I fee schedule; MARFS Chapter 24 covers telehealth IME policy | | Telehealth | MARFS (2025) lists which IME-related services may be covered via telehealth; most IMEs remain in person | ### Sources - [WA Medical Examiners' Handbook](https://www.selfinsured.wa.gov/forms-publications/F252-001-000.pdf) - [WAC 296-23-382](https://lawfilestestext.leg.wa.gov/LawTest/WAC/WAC%20296%20%20TITLE/WAC%20296%20-%2023%20%20CHAPTER/WAC%20296%20-%2023%20-382.htm) - [L&I MARFS Chapter 24 (telehealth)](https://www.lni.wa.gov/patient-care/billing-payments/marfsdocs/2025/2025MARFSChapter24.pdf) Medrecords AI Every line cited back to its page. Send one real record set. We return a cited chronology you can check line by line, and a human decides what it means. [Test on a file](https://medrecords.ai/test-a-file/?src=content-hub-wa) [Book a demo](https://medrecords.ai/demo/?src=content-hub-wa) ### Meeting these requirements with Medrecords AI Medrecords AI assembles the record against the standard this jurisdiction applies — sorted, deduplicated and cited, so the reviewer checks the read instead of rebuilding it. [Solution — **Workers' compensation** — QME, SOAF, impairment rating and federal program record work. Read more →](https://medrecords.ai/solutions/workers-comp/?src=content-hub-wa) [Solution — **Utilization review packets** — The clinical record assembled against the criteria the reviewer applies. Read more →](https://medrecords.ai/solutions/utilization-review-record-packet/?src=content-hub-wa) [Product — **Medical chronology** — A dated, deduplicated timeline with a citation on every entry. Read more →](https://medrecords.ai/product/chronology/?src=content-hub-wa) Test it on a file you already have. Send one real record set. You get back a cited chronology and decide for yourself whether the read holds up — no obligation either way. [Test a file](https://medrecords.ai/test-a-file/?src=content-hub-wa) [Book a demo](https://medrecords.ai/demo/?src=content-hub-wa) ### Explore the Content Hub [ #### Software & platforms AI and case-management platforms across medical-record review. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/software/) [ #### Service providers & BPOs IME, peer review, retrieval, and BPO providers. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/services/) [ #### State programs Rules, AMA Guides edition, and MMI standards by state. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/states/) [ #### Comparisons Head-to-head vendor and program comparisons. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/compare/) [ #### Guides Editorial reference on report writing, MMI, and validity testing. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/guides/) [ #### Conferences & events Workers' comp, claims, and IME conferences with editorial takes. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/events/) [ #### Directories Link-out rosters of examiners, LNCs, and expert witnesses. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/directory/) [ #### State matrix report All 10 verified state programs, side by side. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/reports/ime-state-matrix-2026/) [ #### Content Hub home The full index of everything in the hub. ](https://medrecords.ai/content-hub/) Medrecords AI ### Minutes per file. Every line cited. 10¢ a page. Bring the hardest file from this page. Get a cited chronology and a report draft in minutes — every line traced to its source page, ready for your review and signature. - Minutes per file, not days - Every line cited to its source page - Flat 10¢/page, duplicates free — no license, no minimums - HIPAA-eligible · SOC 2 audit-ready [Test on a file](https://medrecords.ai/test-a-file/?src=content-hub-wa) [Book a demo](https://medrecords.ai/demo/) See how Medrecords AI compares with anything on this page — over a 30-minute call, side by side. Last verified: 2026-08-15