AMA Guides

The official title of the book used by Colorado physicians in workers’ compensation cases is the American Medical Association’s Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 3^rd Edition (Revised).  The AMA Guides is a book written by the American Medical Association which describes methodologies to assess permanent impairment ratings for any permanent physical injuries suffered by an injured worker.   Physicians must use this book to rate extremity injuries  as well as any injuries to the head, neck, back or any other injury not found on the extremity rating schedule, which appears at Section 8-42-107 of the statute. (Section 8-42-101(3) (a) (3.7), C.R.S.)  The AMA Guides do not provide a useful method for evaluating psychological injuries.  The Colorado Division of Workers’ Compensation has devised a method for quantifying such injuries.