30-day AI rollout plan for an IME practice
Short version: week 1 writes the rules and signs the BAA, week 2 tests the tool on closed files you already reported, week 3 runs live files with the physician checking every cited fact, and week 4 runs normal volume and ends with a log review. Each week ends at a gate; if the gate fails, repeat the week instead of moving on.
Limits: This site gives templates and a process, not legal advice. We read the rules it cites on 2026-11-12; your state, your requesters' contracts and your counsel decide what your practice must do.
The plan on 1 page
Week 1 (days 1 to 7): write the rules
| Day | Task | Owner | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take the self-assessment; list every AI tool anyone already uses, personal accounts included | Office manager | A written list, even if it says "none" |
| 1 | Pick 1 task to start with; for most practices, the record chronology | Owner physician | Task written at the top of the policy |
| 2 | Adapt the policy template | Owner physician | Every bracket filled |
| 3 | Read the vendor's BAA, data-use terms and deletion terms; sign the BAA | Owner physician | Signed BAA on file; training clause noted in Appendix A |
| 3 | Turn on multi-factor sign-in for every account; remove unused accounts | Office manager | Account list matches staff list |
| 4 | Block personal chatbot sites on office machines, or record why not | Office manager | Setting changed or exception written |
| 5 | Set up the AI use log in the case system or a shared sheet | Records coordinator | Header in place; test row entered |
| 6 | 1-hour training for all staff on the policy | Owner physician | Names and date recorded |
| 7 | Owner signs the policy | Owner physician | Signed, dated, version 1.0 |
Gate 1: signed policy, signed BAA, log ready, everyone trained. Missing any of these, do not upload a single page.
Week 2 (days 8 to 14): test on closed files
| Day | Task | Owner | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Pick closed files you reported on: at least 1 with heavy handwriting, 1 with many duplicates, 1 long timeline | Each examiner | File list in the log |
| 8 to 10 | Run each file through the tool, logging every run | Records coordinator | All rows open with inputs and outputs |
| 10 to 12 | Each examiner compares the output with what they know is in the file | Each examiner | Missed events, wrong dates and wrong pages listed by page |
| 13 | Sort errors by type; for each type, decide the manual check that catches it | Owner physician | Section 6 of the policy updated |
| 14 | Go or no-go meeting, 30 minutes | Owner physician | Decision written in the log |
Gate 2: every error found falls into a type your checks now catch. If an error would have reached a report and no check would have caught it, add the check and retest, or choose another tool.
Week 3 (days 15 to 21): supervised live files
| Day | Task | Owner | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Add the examinee notice to the appointment letter template and the script to check-in | Intake coordinator | Template updated; script printed at the desk |
| 15 | Add the methods sentence to the report template | Owner physician | Template updated |
| 15 to 21 | Run new live files through the tool; the physician opens every cited fact the opinion uses | Records coordinator, examiners | Every row has field 11 filled |
| 17 | Mid-week check of the log for open rows and missing notice dates | Office manager | Gaps fixed the same day |
| 21 | Count objections and examinee questions; adjust the script if 1 question keeps coming | Intake coordinator | Script version noted |
Gate 3: no report released with an open log row, notices logged on every file, and no new error type. A new error type sends you back to the week 2 fix.
Week 4 (days 22 to 30): normal volume, then review
| Day | Task | Owner | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 to 29 | Run all eligible files; the physician checks the facts the opinion relies on | All | Log complete each day |
| 24 | Check requester contracts for AI terms; record them in Appendix A | Office manager | Each active requester checked |
| 26 | Decide on a 2nd task (file questions or report drafting), or stay with 1 | Owner physician | Decision written |
| 30 | Day-30 log review: the 5 checks on the audit trail page | Owner physician, office manager | Findings dated at the bottom of the log |
| 30 | Update the policy to version 1.1 with what the 30 days taught | Owner physician | New version signed |
Gate 4: the review finds no unapproved tool, no open row and no objection ignored. Then set the monthly review on the calendar for the next 3 months.
What makes rollouts stall
- Testing on easy files. A clean, typed 200-page file proves nothing. Test on the files that hurt.
- Starting with drafting. Drafting is harder to check than a chronology, because errors hide in fluent sentences. Add it after the record step is stable.
- No owner for the log. If nobody's name is on the release gate, the gate is not real.
- Skipping week 4's review. Without it, the habits from week 3 fade and the log becomes optional.
Who does each step day to day is on the staff workflow page.