The body overseeing the regulation of whiplash doctors has taken action to discipline those failing to upload data in reasonable time.

Earlier this year, the MedCo company wrote to medical reporting organisations and direct medical experts saying the uploading of reports was being ’monitored’ and will form part of this year’s audit.

Today the scheme confirmed it has taken enforcement action to suspend 23 medical reporting organisations and 14 direct medical experts for failure to upload medical case data to the system.

The suspended organisations and experts are permitted to complete existing instructions to avoid the impact on those users who have selected them to diagnose a client.

But their details will no longer be presented in MedCo search offers and MedCo will reassess their position on the system once their outstanding case data has been uploaded.

MedCo said it had written to all users to advise them of the enforcement action and to confirm they will continue to be monitored.

Delays in uploading data have been the subject of complaints both from solicitors and their clients, with firms often blamed for doctors’ failure to progress cases. The problem is compounded because solicitors have a limited choice of experts to select from and may be forced to instruct organisations that are known to be difficult to deal with.

MROS and direct medical experts are required to upload medical case data as part of their User Agreements. MROs must adhere to the SLA as published in the MedCo Guidance on Revised Qualifying Criteria October 2016. Direct medical experts must upload to the MedCo system within a maximum period of six months from the date of selection by the instructing party.