An Assessment of Consultative Examination (CE) Processes, Content, and Quality: Findings from the CE Review Data

The consultative examination (CE) is a physical or mental health examination or test requested by the Social Security Administration to determine eligibility for Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance. Mathematica worked with Comprehensive Occupational Medical Services to develop a data extraction tool that allowed medical consultants to extract information regarding the processes, content, and quality of CEs. The final report indicates that most CEs included most information called for in federal regulations, though potential inefficiencies exist in the process that might affect content and quality.