Social Security Disability Medical Tests

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Social Security Disability Medical Tests

by David A. Morton, III, M.D.

Evaluate Social Security Medical Disability
Test Results

Effective advocacy requires informed and critical evaluation of your clients’ medical tests and their results. Were they properly performed? By the right person? Interpreted correctly? What is the chance of a false negative result? Here you will find normal test ranges, predictive values, relevant listings, proper technique, and more for 470 medical tests. You will be able to critically examine the application of test results to disability claims.

Here is the authoritative and detailed guidance from a former SSA Chief Medical Consultant who has personally made more than 50,000 disability determinations. Dr. David Morton’s Social Security Disability Medical Tests answers the following questions for nearly every test you will encounter:

When is the test warranted?
Can SSA purchase it? Does it commonly do so?
What are the relevant social security medical listings?
What complications can result?
How should the test be performed?
Is the test objective, providing independently verifiable information based upon observation? Or is it subjective, depending upon the information elicited by the testing physician?
What is the probability that the test will not detect the abnormality?
What is the prevalence of the abnormality in the population?
What is the normal range of test results?

The book is written in plain English and details more than 450 medical tests frequently encountered in SSA disability determinations. Real-life examples and explanatory drawings accompany many texts. Medical terms are explained as they occur in the text. Over 700 medical abbreviations are defined. Also provided are more than 80 normal laboratory test values and eight different treadmill stress test protocols.

Easy to use headings organize each test in the book for fast access to information.

Type distinguishes between objective and subjective tests
Purpose provides the indications for performing the test
Technique helps you make sure that the test was performed properly
Cross-References to SSA's Blue Book Listing of Impairments save you time--the Blue Book is included in the Appendix
Alternative Test Names confuse even physicians, so their inclusion here makes identification easy for everyone
Can SSA Purchase? Invasiveness, expense and unavailability limit the tests the SSA will provide
Interpretation discusses the meaning of normal and abnormal results
Medical Terms are defined in the footnotes

The publication also includes a full-text searchable CD-ROM at no additional cost.

Published March 18, 2002. Updated annually. ISBN 1-58012-067-9. Book Price: $129.00

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