The Importance of Medical Findings

Are objective medical findings important?

Yes – they are critical, as the range of possible outcomes in a case depends upon them. However, they are not sufficient to determine a claimant’s capacity for work when his or her impairment does not meet the Listing of Impairments. For example, the Social Security Administration (SSA) recognizes that X-ray findings and the actual functioning of a joint may not be correlative to one another. Likewise, researchers have found no correlation between disability level and lumbar range of motion.
How should I go about preparing an opinion regarding a patient’s capacity to do work-related activities?

Speaking with your patient to get his or her own opinion on work limitations is a good place to start. Then, compare your patient’s statements with what you know to be objectively verifiable about his or her condition and – using your professional judgment – determine to what degree your patient’s stated limitations are reasonably consistent with what you know about your patient’s medical impairments and what you know about your patient.

Should I take at face value what the patient says about his or her limitations?

No – this would be an abdication of professional judgment. Patients often describe symptoms that have no apparent connection to any generally accepted medical diagnosis or side effects of medication. Do not consider these symptoms in reaching your conclusions. Patients have also been known to claim limitations that, in light of their known impairments, medical findings, history and personality, are simply unsupportable.

For further information on these and other issues of interest to treating physicians, or if you have a patient in need of an effective advocate before the SSA, please contact Miracle Disability today to consult with attorney Garry Miracle.