What is a Functional Capacity Evaluation?

A Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) is a comprehensive battery of performance - based tests to determine an individual’s ability for work activities or activities of daily living and leisure. This evaluation assesses the individual’s physical ability relative to a specific injury or illness.

What are the Components of a Functional Capacity Evaluation?

• Informed Consent

• A individual’s self-rating of pain and disability through questionnaires and interviews

• A medical history and focused musculoskeletal examination

• Material Handling Tests (lift, carry, push, pull, etc)

• Movement Tests (walking, reaching, climbing, dexterity, etc)

• Positional Tolerance Tests (standing, sitting, etc)

• Evaluation of aerobic ability

• Job specific testing, when the individual’s ability to return to a specific job is at question.

• Data Analysis, including assessment of the individual’s effort and participation

• A comprehensive report that includes An “Estimated Physical Capabilities Form”

When to order a Functional Capacity Evaluation?

Workers’ Compensation 

• Job Specific: To assess whether an individual can be returned to his/her job of injury. Can he/she safely meet the essential physical functions of his or her job? Requires detailed job description.

• General FCE: What are the individual’s general physical abilities? What work can he or she safely perform?

• When the individual has objective evidence of pathology but reports disability and symptoms beyond what would normally be expected for their diagnosis.

• When an individual complains of persistent symptoms and limitations despite ongoing care.

LTD

• To assess whether an individual is capable of performing the duties of his or her "own occupation" or "any occupation". Generally we perform either a job specific FCE or a general FCE.

• Often utilized in combination with an Independent Medical Evaluation

Injury Prevention Functional Testing

• Post-Offer Functional Testing – Can the applicant perform the essential job functions?

• Fitness for Duty – Can the employee, either transferring into a new job or returning to work after injury/illness, perform the essential functions of a particular job?

FMLA

• Utilized in conjunction with an Independent Medical Evaluation to assess whether an individual who returns from FMLA leave can perform the essential functions of their job. Also used in medical re-certification of an individual’s FMLA leave.

Independent Medical Evaluation and Functional Capacity Evaluation Combination

• Can be used in combination with a Independent Medical Evaluation – either a full 3-4 hour evaluation or a 2-hour focused Functional Capacity Evaluation

Quality Assurance of All Functional Capacity Evaluations

• Whether our Functional Capacity Evaluations are performed on-site, or by one of our Network of National Providers, strict Quality Assurance is performed on every Functional Capacity Evaluation report by Jill S. Galper, P.T.,M.Ed. - VP of Clinical Program Development

If you are a provider interesting in joining our National FCE Network contact IMX, or call:
(610) 667-4463.

Jill S. Galper, PT, MEd, VP Clinical Program Development – jill.galper@imxmed.com
Joan C. Brown, RN, CDMS, CCM – Director Business Development – joan.brown@imxmed.com