Ted Tribble, Psy.D., Q.M.E.

Clinical & Forensic Psychologist

Qualified Medical Evaluator

Tribble Psychological Services, Inc.

About

A graduate of Texas Tech University, Dr. Tribble earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 1991. After graduation he moved to Los Angeles, California and attended Pepperdine University. He graduated in Malibu, California with honors in 1995, earning a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Tribble later attended California Graduate Institute in Los Angeles, California's first independent professional psychology graduate program which merged with The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. His academic emphasis at the doctoral level was psychoanalytic study that included self psychology and intersubjective-systems theory, earning his doctorate in 2003.

Beginning evaluation and treatment in workers’ compensation in 2006, Dr. Tribble continues today as a QME in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, and San Diego counties. He has provided evaluation and treatment to over four thousand applicants in southern California and has reviewed and responded to hundreds of QME reports as a primary and secondary treating physician.

Since 2011, Dr. Tribble has served as a qualified medical evaluator with ten office locations throughout southern California that include Los Angeles, Riverside & San Diego counties. Qualified medical evaluators (QMEs) are qualified physicians who are certified by the Division of Workers' Compensation - Medical Unit to examine injured workers, evaluate disability and write medical-legal reports. The reports are used to determine an injured worker's eligibility for workers' compensation benefits.

Dr. Tribble regularly attends seminars and lectures related to the practice of workers' compensation and psychological assessment. He attended a twenty-eight hour, four day conference with the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, addressing: Improvements in Clinical Judgment and Decision Making in Forensic Psychological Evaluations, Admissibility of Psychological Evidence and Expert Opinions, and Forensic Report Writing. He also attended a twelve hour, two day conference on the MMPI-2-RF® by one of the co-developers of the test, Yossef S. Ben-Porath, PhD who co-authored numerous books on the MMPI-2. In addition, Dr. Tribble has attended lectures presented by WorkCompCentral on The Prosecution and Defense of Psychiatric Injuries & The Constitutionality of Independent Medical Review and Mecial Treatment Issues.

QME Process

The QME is expected to conduct a thorough examination and to address any disputed medical facts. These disputes relate to AOE/COE (if the injury was caused by and occurred during the course of employment), disputes over future medical treatment on an industrial basis, and disputes over permanent disability. The report will address any periods of temporary disability and any applicable work restrictions. The QME does not address disputes regarding authorization of treatment but may recommend future medical treatment to help cure of relieve the effects of the work injury (Labor Code §4600).

Prior to the QME evaluation the doctor typically receives medical records from both the defense and applicant attorneys. The records include medical findings from treating physicians related to the claim as well as past medical records prior to the claim. Non-medical records, such as personnel records or depositions, are also sent to the QME. Applicants often ask why medical records prior to the work injury are requested, subpoenaed, or relevant to the case. The records help determine how much of the applicant’s condition and later permanent disability are due to the current injury and how much may be due to prior events. The applicant should be aware the employer is only responsible for any portion of the psychological injury that was caused by or occurred during the course of employment.

The evaluation process with Dr. Tribble usually takes from 4-6 hours. A psychological interview is performed following guidelines from §43 of Title 8, California Code of Regulations. Following these guidelines assures that the clinician has conducted the evaluation in a manner consistent with the requirements of the California Labor Code. Parts of the interview include a psychosocial history, medical history, legal history, educational history, occupational history, mental health history, history of the injury, work status and psychological testing.

Psychological testing consists of questionnaires that may include the MMPI-II (567 questions), MMPI-II-RF (338 questions), the PAI (344 questions), the MCMI-III (175 questions), or the BHI-2 (217 questions). The tests assess a person’s general complaints about current emotional and possibly physical functioning. The test battery always depends upon the reason for the referral, i.e. whether the claim is a psychological stressor only, or if it includes both physical and emotional complaints. The psychological tests provide objective data for an evaluation so that any diagnosis and level of symptom severity concluded by the evaluator is not purely based on a doctor's observations or a patient's self-reports. In addition, because the tests are standardized and subjected to rigorous psychometric evaluation, test findings provide greater reliability and validity.

The QME has 30 days from the evaluation date to complete and submit the report to the requesting parties, typically the adjuster, defense attorney and applicant attorney.

Most psychologists do not release psychological reports to applicants. One of the main reasons is that the test results from psychological assessments can be misinterpreted and cause undue stress. Dr. Tribble may provide the report to the applicant if unrepresented so that the applicant is able to see what the findings and recommendations are. If the applicant is represented, the report is provided to the applicant’s attorney, the defense attorney, and the adjuster. The represented applicant usually has a mental health provider that the QME report can be released to and that doctor can relay appropriate findings to the applicant while ensuring sensitive information in the report is not misinterpreted.

Division of Workers' Comp

Guide for Injured Workers

Frequent Questions