Any tips for finding a doc that will do BasicMed?

I might think some AMEs don’t think Basic Med is worthy of their special AME destination. Like when Rodney Dangerfield came into the Bushwood clubhouse.
 
Palmpilot said:
Wasn't there a recent report from the FAA that found that the medical-incapacitation history for pilots on BasicMed is no worse than for holders of medical certificates?
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Yup:

AOPA review here.

Actual Report here.

Edit: The link to the FAA I posted might not work in some browsers, but it is also linked in the AOPA article.
 
The takeaway I get from that report is:

1) BasicMed pilots should be at higher risk because many would otherwise require an SI.
2) BasicMed pilots should be at higher risk because they are older and more likely to have medical issues that could cause accidents.
3) Despite #1 and #2, BasicMed pilots did not have any higher likelihood of being in an accident.

I would add, that given #1 and #2, BasicMed pilots should have been more likely to be in accidents, but were not, so BasicMed may actually be more preventative of accidents than 3rd Class medicals. The hypothesis to put here is that BasicMed pilots seek better health care, and therefore reduce the risk.
 
Jeff Oslick said:
The takeaway I get from that report is:

1) BasicMed pilots should be at higher risk because many would otherwise require an SI.
2) BasicMed pilots should be at higher risk because they are older and more likely to have medical issues that could cause accidents.
3) Despite #1 and #2, BasicMed pilots did not have any higher likelihood of being in an accident.

I would add, that given #1 and #2, BasicMed pilots should have been more likely to be in accidents, but were not, so BasicMed may actually be more preventative of accidents than 3rd Class medicals. The hypothesis to put here is that BasicMed pilots seek better health care, and therefore reduce the risk.
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Well, don't stop there! Go ahead, be bold and state the obvious conclusion: Class 3 does not achieve superior results over Basic Med and should therefore be eliminated, which would help with the delays and backlog at OKC.
 
Have there been instances of successful lawsuits against physicians who approved a pilot for Basic Med?
 
Half Fast said:
Have there been instances of successful lawsuits against physicians who approved a pilot for Basic Med?
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Lawsuits after accidents take years to settle. BasicMed is still relatively new so I doubt there's much caselaw to go on, and even if there are cases that have settled, the settlements are typically confidential. I suspect the potential for liability is as much a concern as actual documented evidence of medical malpractice on the part of physicians conducting BasicMed exams.
 
If a doc is named in a suit, they have to defend. Mounting a defense is expensive, and Insurance is as important for providing a defense as it is for paying a settlement or judgement. If his malpractice insuror balks at providing a defense, no doc in his right mind will provide the service.

This is the greatest threat to Basic Med in my opinion.
 
Eh.... How is a doctor more at risk with checking the boxes on Basic Med vs checking the boxes that say "Here's a 1st class medical - go fly 100 people".
 
Generally I fly 172’s , Cherokees , PA-22s etc under BM.

If I cannot renew it my take is it would be more expensive and less safe

IN MY CASE with Sport Pilot.
 
WDD said:
Eh.... How is a doctor more at risk with checking the boxes on Basic Med vs checking the boxes that say "Here's a 1st class medical - go fly 100 people".
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With an FAA medical done IAW FAA standards, the FAA takes the risk, not the physician. The AME doesn’t have liability unless he deviates from FAA doctrine.

Not so with Basic Med.
 
WDD said:
I might think some AMEs don’t think Basic Med is worthy of their special AME destination. Like when Rodney Dangerfield came into the Bushwood clubhouse.
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I'm sure some do think that. And I'm sure some don't believe in it or just don't want to mess with it. The one I mentioned up thread was doing basic med, and in fact I started going to him because I planned to go basic med, and then he stopped doing them.
 
Half Fast said:
With an FAA medical done IAW FAA standards, the FAA takes the risk, not the physician. The AME doesn’t have liability unless he deviates from FAA doctrine.

Not so with Basic Med.
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Though I don't understand why the perceived risk is so much greater to the physician than performing a DOT exam. In the case of airplanes eligible to be flown under Basic Med, the results of a crash rarely end up more than the loss of the occupants and hull. Monetary damage to people and property on the ground generally doesn't amount to much. My guess would be the aggregate value of commercial truck crashes far outstrips the losses due to small aircraft GA operations, especially if the GA loss is directly attributed to medical incapacitaion.

When I brought this up to AOPA Medical, I was told they just don't have the resources staff to pursue a Basic Med physician development program.
 
Chip Sylverne said:
When I brought this up to AOPA Medical, I was told they just don't have the resources staff to pursue a Basic Med physician development program.
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[/AOPA rant on] Note how that was carefully phrased. They don't have the "resources staff", not that they don't have the resources. [/AOPA rant off]
 
Jeff Oslick said:
The takeaway I get from that report is:

1) BasicMed pilots should be at higher risk because many would otherwise require an SI.
2) BasicMed pilots should be at higher risk because they are older and more likely to have medical issues that could cause accidents.
3) Despite #1 and #2, BasicMed pilots did not have any higher likelihood of being in an accident.

I would add, that given #1 and #2, BasicMed pilots should have been more likely to be in accidents, but were not, so BasicMed may actually be more preventative of accidents than 3rd Class medicals. The hypothesis to put here is that BasicMed pilots seek better health care, and therefore reduce the risk.
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How about this. Pilots on Basic Med are more honest with their doctors about issues. While those with FAA Medical Certificates are not as honest to avoid records of conditions that will cause endless hassles in keep their medical

So Basic Med pilots are actually more healthy than those with FAA Medical Certificates.
 
Half Fast said:
With an FAA medical done IAW FAA standards, the FAA takes the risk, not the physician. The AME doesn’t have liability unless he deviates from FAA doctrine.

Not so with Basic Med.
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The Basic Med exam is done to FAA Standards. Just different ones.

And like your annual, the doctor is only liable until you get out the door. And even then, it would have to have been an issue that he/she should have seen with in the parameters of the exam requirements.

Does your doctor guarantee that you will have no problems after you have a normal physical exam?
 
Given doctors aren’t facing a wrath of lawsuits from Basic Med given how many pilots are already on it, and given the hundreds of thousands of DOT physicals that don’t generate widespread lawsuits, I’m sticking with the idea that doctors either haven’t heard about it / don’t know about it or they just think it is beneath them (AMEs).
 
WDD said:
Given doctors aren’t facing a wrath of lawsuits from Basic Med given how many pilots are already on it, and given the hundreds of thousands of DOT physicals that don’t generate widespread lawsuits, I’m sticking with the idea that doctors either haven’t heard about it / don’t know about it or they just think it is beneath them (AMEs).
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Bruce said he tried to get liability insurance for doing BasicMed exams, and the cost was prohibitive for the small number of them that he would probably do.
 
If basic med isn’t covered - can’t be covered in doctors insurance, how did the tens of thousands of Basic Med exams ever take place?
 
WDD said:
If basic med isn’t covered - can’t be covered in doctors insurance, how did the tens of thousands of Basic Med exams ever take place?
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Nobody said it isn’t covered or can’t be covered. Apparently some doctors have insurance that won’t cover it at a reasonable price, or they work for medical companies that prohibit Basic Med exams. Many other doctors are willing and able to do Basic Med.
 
FORANE said:
As one who buys my own professional medical liability insurance, I'm surprised there is an exclusion for basicmed physical in his policy.
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My understanding is that he only does AME work, which apparently has federal rules that provide protection. So it's not an indication of what the situation is for physicians who treat patients.
 
WDD said:
Given doctors aren’t facing a wrath of lawsuits from Basic Med given how many pilots are already on it, and given the hundreds of thousands of DOT physicals that don’t generate widespread lawsuits, I’m sticking with the idea that doctors either haven’t heard about it / don’t know about it or they just think it is beneath them (AMEs).
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How many have you asked?
 
7 AMEs said no. My old PCP and three doctor in a box said no before I found one that did DOT physicals. Simple problems arose with the PCP - he couldn’t do the eye exam. Only the DOT doc had heard of Basic Med.
 
WDD said:
7 AMEs said no. My old PCP and three doctor in a box said no before I found one that did DOT physicals. Simple problems arose with the PCP - he couldn’t do the eye exam. Only the DOT doc had heard of Basic Med.
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What did they say when you asked them why?
 
The AMEs ranged from “I just don’t do those”to “People who ask for Basic Med have things wrong with them”, “I only do FAA exams”. There are several AMEs in Atlanta and I think I called almost all!

My PCP wouldn’t do it because he didn’t have an eye chart for the eye test.

The other doc in the boxes said they hadn’t heard of Basic Med and when I explained what was in the form they just said no.

The Doc in a Box place said yes, they knew what it was and they did them all the time. Come see dr XYZ when he’s here on Tuesday - he does these.
 
Pinecone said:
The Basic Med exam is done to FAA Standards. Just different ones.

And like your annual, the doctor is only liable until you get out the door. And even then, it would have to have been an issue that he/she should have seen with in the parameters of the exam requirements.

Does your doctor guarantee that you will have no problems after you have a normal physical exam?
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A class 1/2/3 FAA medical references a giant book of medical standards for AMEs, with a big list of what passes and what fails. Have high blood pressure? Have a stroke while flying? The AME can point to the big AME book and say "look, the blood pressure was within the limits on the big AME book, treated with medications on the approved list, so I checked the box the FAA told me to check, and they got their medical."

The BasicMed form, on the other hand, ends with the doctor signing a statement that says "I certify that I am not aware of any medical condition that, as presently treated, could interfere with the individual's ability to safely operate an aircraft."

"Could" is a hugely worrisome word here. The statement doesn't say "I don't think this person is any more likely than the next person to crash an airplane" or even "I don't think this person is any more likely than someone with a class 3 medical to crash an airplane." It says "I am not aware of any condition that could interfere."

Switch to the courtroom scene. "Didn't you know this person had high blood pressure?" "Well, yes." "And didn't they teach you in medical school that high blood pressure makes strokes and heart attacks more likely?" "Of course." "So why did you say you didn't know of any condition that could interfere with operating an aircraft?"

I don't think there should be higher liability for BasicMed sign-offs compared to FAA medicals. But the way our legal system works, only time will tell, and it probably won't tell us very publicly. As a physician, it would take a hell of a lot to convince me to sign off on people who I didn't have an established doctor-patient relationship with, and even then, I would need an insurance company to specifically look at that form and say "yes, you can sign this and we'll cover you if there's fallout."

I am not at all happy that that's how the world works, but it is.
 
@mcmanigle Any proper expert would provide testimony shooting down that argument in court. However, in no way would I perform Basic Med exams if my malpractice provider did not explicitly state I would be insured against claims related to Basic Med exams. Yes, I think the claims could be easily defended if the provider did not commit malpractice but no way in hell could I afford the defense.
 
robin ardoin said:
@mcmanigle Any proper expert would provide testimony shooting down that argument in court. However, in no way would I perform Basic Med exams if my malpractice provider did not explicitly state I would be insured against claims related to Basic Med exams. Yes, I think the claims could be easily defended if the provider did not commit malpractice but no way in hell could I afford the defense.
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How is that different from a DOT exam or a sports physical? When I was racing cars I had to have a physical and never once had a doc balk at it. Flying seems like less risk than racing.
 
Half Fast said:
How is that different from a DOT exam or a sports physical? When I was racing cars I had to have a physical and never once had a doc balk at it. Flying seems like less risk than racing.
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I would think that the liability exposure would be similar. I also had no problems with getting a physical for an SCCA license but that was a few moons and many personal injury ads ago ;).
 
Isn’t it normal for the AME to look at your undercarriage during a Class 3?
 
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