Association that contracts with an insurance company to distribute and carry out other marketing for the company’s products.

In workers’ compensation cases or disability cases, an impartial examination by a physician to settle a dispute about the nature and extent of an illness or injury.

Physician who is certified by the Industrial Medical Council (IMC) and conducts medicolegal evaluations of injured workers in workers’ compensation cases for insurance companies or workers’ compensation appeals board. IMEs render an unbiased opinion about the degree of disability of an injured worker. In addition to workers’ compensation cases, sometimes an IME is required for disability insurance, liability lawsuit, or other legal proceedings. May be referred to as agreed medical evaluator (AME) or qualified medical evaluator (QME) .

Physicians who make examinations of individuals, independent of the attending physician, and render an unbiased opinion regarding the degree of disability of a worker. IMEs are appointed by the referee or appeals board at state expense when a judge thinks additional medical evidence is necessary to provide a basis for a decision on an issue presented by the involved parties.

Type of managed care organization (MCO) in which a program administrator contracts with a number of physicians who agree to provide treatment to members (subscribers) in their own offices. This is a group association that has no common facilities and is open-panel because a physician’s practice is not limited to IPA patients. Physicians are not employees of the MCO and are not paid salaries. They receive reimbursement on a capitation or fee-for-service basis; also referred to as a medical capitation plan . Also known as individual practice organization (IPO) .

Independent insurance agents or agencies that distribute many property/casualty insurance industry products from what is commonly known as independent agency system or American Agency System .