Workers’ compensation is the oldest social insurance program in the United States. The State of Washington Industrial Insurance Commission was created in 1911 to administer the Workmen’s Compensation Act. In 1921 it and other labor agencies were absorbed into the Department of Labor and Industries.
The roots of our panel go back to the mid-1950’s. Our founder and first medical director began the practice of medicine in Seattle in 1958. He founded our panel in 1978, drawing from his extensive private practice experience in formulating our philosophy. From the beginning, our focus has been on ensuring the highest quality medical evaluations possible.
Nothing, and no one, interferes with or influences our physicians' medical opinions. Our offices exist to provide an environment where the practice of medicine can be the sole focus of our consultants.
What is a “panel”?
A panel is the combined medical opinions of multiple examiners. It is a natural extension of a system in Washington State that has been a standard since the early 1940’s. Two or more physicians, addressing the same conditions, in the same room, at the same time, provide an accurate “snapshot in time” of the medical conditions under review. Each examiner focuses on their own specialty and the formulation of the final opinion is their combined best medical recommendation. We are now alone in Washington and nationwide in making this model the focus of our practice. While the vast majority of the nation’s leading hospitals and teaching institutions have adopted a similar “team medicine” approach, the vast majority of so-called “IME providers” have abandoned this difficult and labor intensive practice.
Our panel has long been alone in being able to promise:
Our reports are the sole work product of our physicians. They review the record, obtain a full history from the examinee, conduct an examination based in their specialty, then dictate the entirety of the report. There is no "review" or "summary" provided to them to short-cut their record reviews, nor are their record reviews the work product of a nurse or other third party.
If more than one physician is involved in the examination (a "panel") all those physicians will discuss and concur in the conclusions. This ensures a combined opinion, the blended expertise of a group of specialists.
We do not require examinees to fill out pages and pages of questionnaires to substitute for a history of the injury or condition taken directly by the physician.
Our physicians will personally address any questions that may arise. While we provide ourselves on “Quality Assurance” that assurance is solely medically based.
We make every effort to ensure our reports are completed and in the mail one week after the examination. If, for any reason, the report is delayed, we will contact the referral with a detailed explanation.
We will contact every examinee, well in advance of their appointment date, to confirm attendance. Should we discover that an examinee cannot attend, or if we are unable to locate them, we will contact the referral immediately.
Since 1978, The Panel of Consultants has provided independent medical evaluations, second opinion medical examinations and medical-legal consultations. We are the oldest panel in Washington State.
We accept cases from all over the United States and overseas for industrial and casualty insurance providers, legal professionals and third-party administrators. From Peer Review to our evidence-based "blue ribbon panels", we are leaders in fairness, quality and integrity. Our reputation rests on the independence and expertise of our specialists. We pledge our work to be free of influence or interest and without bias of any kind.
From simple to complex cases, our reports meet the highest standards of excellence in the field. We hope you will browse our site to learn more, or contact us directly at 1-800-20-PANEL.
** We are moving as of 1/1/2016 to:
Seattle Panel of Consultants
411 12th Avenue Suite 300
Seattle, Washington 98122-5577
** We have TWO additional locations:
Everett Panel of Consultants
315 Colby Avenue Suite F
Everett Washington 98201-4032
and
Tacoma Panel of Consultants
1310 South Union Avenue Suite B
Tacoma Washington 98405-1907
