Association of Medical Reporting Organisations (AMRO) Agreement
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What is the AMRO Agreement?
AMRO is the Association of Medical Reporting Organisations. Multiple medical reporting agencies are members of this, allowing the association itself to monitor the work completed and to maintain professional standards that are required for medical reports in legal proceedings.
Furthermore, the AMRO agreement of April 2014, which is known as the Medical Reporting Organisation Agreement, can be referred to in personal injury claims which have arisen from road traffic accidents, employers or public liability. The agreement itself relates to the payment of applicable fees for a medical report and sets standards in respect of agreement levels between Solicitor and medical agency.
As mentioned above, the organisation aims to uphold excellent standards as they state that they are “dedicated to the promotion of professional standards in medical reporting.” It also states that they are committed to the “good practice in the presentation and use of medical reports and the conduct of medical experts in the course of legal proceedings in accordance with general principles. ”
What are the AMRO rules?
In order to use the Medical Reporting Organisation Agreement, the matter must have anticipated damages of less than £15,000. It must be an applicable claim for which the stipulations are listed above. Moreover, the invoice for the work completed must be from one of the subscribed medical reporting organisations (MROs) to the Claimant’s solicitor.
Finally, the work completed by the reporting organisation must be relevant to the AMRO agreement. It must be a medical report from a General Practitioner, Orthopaedic Surgeon or Accident and Emergency Specialist.
The agreement highlights many rules which relate to rates used for medical reports. It also highlights the capping of said rates depending on the timing of the payment and the fees committee, who meet annually and reconsider the rates documented within the matrix of the agreement. Rates have however, remained undisturbed since 2011.
Not all medical agencies are members of the AMRO agreement however, and this can cause issues if they wish to offer different service levels/offerings, for which varied fees may apply.
How Can ARC Costs Assist Medical Agencies & The Recovery of Medical Fees?
The AMRO agreement is now arguably outdated. Having been produced nearly ten years ago, the rates in the document no longer reflect our current economic climate, particularly given that inflation since 2011 is 20%+.
At ARC Costs, our expert Costs Draftsmen and Costs Lawyers are able to prepare a Bill of Costs or advance arguments for the recovery of fixed CPR 45 costs in respect of contested medical disbursements. Should the any medical items be disputed by the paying party, our Costs Negotiators are able to defend the fees claimed, and seek recovery of your medical fees in full.
For any costs query, contact one of the team by emailing info@arccosts.co.uk, calling one of our experts on 01204 397302, or by sending us one of our Contact Forms, below.