Cut Through the Noise

CASE STUDY

Dr. Chris Hlushak 

Independent Medical Examiner

Dr. Curtis Hlushak is a Physiatrist and Independent Medical Examiner (IME) based in Alberta. Curtis handles every part of his chart reviews without administrative support - from organizing and sorting records to the clinical review itself. With cases regularly running between 600 and 1,500+ pages, an efficient process is a necessity.

The Challenge

IME chart reviews are inherently document-heavy: duplicate records, invoices, cover sheets, and documents from several different providers all need to be sorted before the clinical work can begin. For Curtis, that meant manually sorting through multiple PDFs to find the records that actually mattered - a time-consuming process that only grew more demanding with larger, more complex files.

Curtis needed a way to cut through the noise and zero in on what was clinically relevant.

With SiftMed

Curtis turned to SiftMed to bring structure to a process he was managing entirely on his own. SiftMed's ability to organize, filter, and deduplicate large files gave him a way to work more deliberately - spending less time searching for records and more time reviewing.

“It's really about choosing what types of documents I need to review and knowing what’s important, once the duplicates are out of the way.”

With SiftMed, Curtis doesn't have to think about duplicates.

SiftMed identifies repeated records and sets them aside before the review begins, and Curtis can always resurface and review them at any point if needed.

Removing duplicate pages upfront cuts down the volume he's actually dealing with. In one recent case, that step alone reduced the file to nearly half its original size. From there, Curtis filters by document type, pulling forward the records most relevant to the case at hand: diagnostic imaging, forms, or other injury-specific documents depending on what he's assessing. Invoices and expense reports, which fall outside of the medical scope, are often excluded with filters. What remains is a tighter, more purposeful starting point.

Curtis still works through every record in the file. The filtering simply means he's already familiar with the most critical documents before he gets there. This means Curtis already has a clear picture of the case by the time the broader review begins, making it more focused.

SiftMed also supports Curtis after the patient encounter. If something comes up during the clinical visit that warrants a second look, he can return to the file and search by keyword or document type to find exactly what he needs.

For Curtis, the value isn't just about completing a file faster - it's about knowing the case. Quickly identifying the most important records at the outset changes how confidently and efficiently the entire review unfolds.

The Impact

For an independent practitioner managing cases that regularly run into the thousands of pages, the stakes of inefficiency are high. With SiftMed, Curtis can remove duplicates from view and surface the most relevant documents at the start of his review. He still reviews all the records, but starting with the most relevant documents helps the entire process run smoothly.

Curtis goes into each assessment with a clearer picture, a more deliberate process, and less time spent on the work that doesn't require his clinical judgment.

Learn how SiftMed transforms medical record reviews.

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