Ethics & Professional Conduct Flashcards

An FCE evaluator discovers mid-assessment that the claimant is a distant relative. What is the most ethical course of action?

Answer: Disclose the relationship to the referring party and withdraw from the case

Any personal relationship that could compromise objectivity requires disclosure and recusal to avoid conflicts of interest.

A claimant requests that their FCE report be shared only with their attorney and not the insurance carrier. How should the evaluator respond?

Answer: Explain that report distribution is governed by the referral agreement and applicable law, not the claimant's preference

Report distribution is determined by the referral agreement, consent forms signed prior to evaluation, and applicable regulations, not unilateral claimant requests.

Which behavior most clearly violates the principle of non-maleficence in FCE practice?

Answer: Pushing a claimant to perform beyond safe symptom-magnification limits to confirm malingering

Forcing a claimant beyond safe limits to confirm suspected malingering risks physical harm and violates the duty to do no harm.

An FCE evaluator is approached by a plaintiff attorney who offers a bonus for every evaluation that supports the claimant's disability claim. This arrangement is:

Answer: A serious ethical violation that compromises evaluator independence

Outcome-contingent fees create a financial incentive to bias findings and are prohibited under professional ethics standards.

During an FCE, a claimant discloses active suicidal ideation. The evaluator's primary obligation is to:

Answer: Immediately halt the evaluation, ensure claimant safety, and follow mandatory reporting protocols

Imminent safety risk overrides testing goals; the evaluator must stop, secure safety, and follow duty-to-warn or mandatory reporting requirements.

A referring physician asks the FCE evaluator to omit a finding from the report because it complicates the physician's legal case. The evaluator should:

Answer: Refuse and include all clinically significant findings in the report

Selectively omitting findings at a referral source's request constitutes falsification and violates professional integrity standards.

The principle of justice in FCE ethics most directly requires that the evaluator:

Answer: Apply the same standardized protocols consistently regardless of who referred the case

Justice demands fair, consistent application of evaluation standards regardless of which party (employer, insurer, or claimant) initiated the referral.