WHAT IS AN IME AND CAN IT AFFECT YOUR WORKERSâ COMPENSATION BENEFITS? Allentown, PA â Workersâ Compensation Benefits Alert Chances are if you are claiming workersâ compensation benefits you may have you heard of an IME.
It may appear by itself or along with other birth defects of the face and skull, such as a cleft lip. Cleft palate and cleft lip are the most common birth defects of the head and neck. Until a cleft palate is treated with surgery, it can cause problems with feeding, speech, and hearing.
CDC recently estimated that, each year in the United States, about 2,650 babies are born with a cleft palate and 4,440 babies are born with a cleft lip with or without a cleft palate. 1 Isolated orofacial clefts, or clefts that occur with no other major birth defects, are one of the most common types of birth defects in the United States. 1 Depending on the cleft type, the rate of isolated orofacial clefts can vary from 50% to 80% of all clefts. 2-4