Dear Minister for ACC,

I am making an urgent Official Information request for the following information:

1. A copy of all policies, procedures, guidelines, rules and any other similar documents related to "medical case review" requests by the ACC

2. A copy of the standard letter template routinely used by the ACC when writing a "medical case review" request to a doctor or specialist.

Can you also please advise me whether or not it would be normal operating procedure for an ACC appointed (external) Solicitor to write a "medical case review" referral letter to a specialist, and to do so on a non-ACC letterhead using his own format? And if so, can you please explain under what circumstances might this happen?

In addition, can you please describe the circumstances when it might be considered necessary or appropriate to include voluminous "background" information when the ACC's standard template abovementioned does not allow for this, and, according to the ACC's website in relation to requests for a medical report;

"If an ACC case manager asks you for a medical report, you can expect to receive:
• a covering letter containing clear instructions in writing
• a list of each document provided and clear photocopies of the documents
• an outline of what the report should cover
• details of whether the client is to be examined and if so, the matters the examination
should cover
• specific medical questions upon which you are to give advice. These must be
directed to the client’s medical condition and not matters of law or entitlement under
the Accident Compensation Act 2001. A Branch medical advisor, as an expert in the
field of ACC, may refer to the relevant legal concepts in order to identify them
• questions that encourage you to give your reasoning, eg ‘Can you explain
…’; ‘Please describe ...’
• neutral questions. An expert’s opinion is worth more if a Court sees that the way in
which the question is asked has not influenced the expert”.

The reason for the urgent nature of this request is that the information is needed for a District Court hearing on 14 July 2016.

Yours faithfully,

Lee M.

Dear Rutger Keijser,

Hard to believe it took your office a business week to just let me know you have transferred my request. Now that efficient service in all its governmental glory!

Yours sincerely,

Lee M.