Visiting the doctor

U

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I'm in my early 30s. I've had some chest discomfort for the last week (burning, fullness, deep pulsing aches). I'm seeing my primary care physician today.

I've heard horror stories about diagnosis codes, etc. In general, what should I be saying to my primary care physician as far as protecting my medical or helping prevent a fiasco at medical renewal time?

Thanks in advance.
 
Be completely honest and upfront with your Doctor...that is the best way to avoid an erroneous diagnosis.

Worry about your health first and then about you medical. A health problem may create a few hoops for you to jump through to keep flying, but most likely you will keep flying.
 
Well, I was honest about my symptoms, which is what I planned to be. General agreement was to see if symptoms persist and if so move on to non-invasive tests (chest x-ray, etc).

I mentioned that, since I had last visited him, I had obtained my pilot's license. He said he had a couple other pilots and that he'd not put anything negative on my record. Which I took to mean he'd use a diagnosis code that fit the visit, rather than some other one that would cause issues at medical renewal time.

I can't really recall what I'll be required to mark down when I renew my medical. Will I need to have any proof that I wan't diagnosed with heart problems or anything of that nature?

Thanks.
 
You need to get checked out, have you been feeling nauseous or winded out easily lately?

Ether way get checked out, if youre really concerned about busy body govt types, just pay cash and give BS name/dob/and no ss.
 
Unregistered said:
I can't really recall what I'll be required to mark down when I renew my medical. Will I need to have any proof that I wan't diagnosed with heart problems or anything of that nature?
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I have no medical expertise, but what I do is that if the doctor says "You have X," then I report that I have X. And of course I also report the purpose of the visit in the section for visits to health professionals.

I suspect that what, if anything, you have to provide beyond that will depend on what you end up being diagnosed with.
 
bbchien said:
NOT ENOUGH INFO to say anything useful!
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Ok, thanks. I'll try again.

I'm 33, third class medical, PP-ASEL, recreational-only flyer. No medical history of anything relating to heart/chest/etc.

I've been having chest discomfort for a week. I went to see my PCP. My question was a general one: are there suggestions on how to handle a visit to the PCP vis a vis protecting my medical or easing the medical renewal process? Note I am NOT asking how to hide a diagnosis that would affect my medical. I am asking whether there's anything I should do/say to prevent a benign or unknown diagnosis from adversely affecting me at medical renewal time.

Real example: I've just gone to the doctor for "chest pains." Doctor did an EKG and listened to my heart, read my symptoms. Decides "most likely gastrointestinal or musculoskeletal." Says he wouldn't expect heart issues due to my symptoms and my age. Suggest waiting through the holidays to see if discomfort subsides, and if not, or if it gets worse, move to non-invasive tests (chest x-ray, etc.).

So should I have done/said anything, or should I now do or say anything, to prevent problems with my medical? I don't know how this stuff works. For all I know my record now shows a visit for chest pains and the FAA will think heart attack.

Thanks again.
 
The only problems with your medical are ones you potentially create yourself by trying to be creative...At your next medical you report the visit, went in for chest discomfort, it was GERD. End of story. The AME will report in box 60 about your visit. If the symptoms don't improve and it turns out to be cardiac in nature, then it would require more documentation, but in the end, you will keep flying.
 
Almost agree. For a 33 y.o. male, the presumption will be that this is CAD. so bring either your office visit that concluded this to be GERD, or a note from the doc saying that you are followed for GERD. And that will be all.

AMEs get audited. A note like that can save the day. Personally, in this situation I take such a supporting note (if I'm reading an EPIC record I read the whole 5 pages to make sure there's nothing damaging in there) and then send the record in to the masterfile.

My RFS asked for the record during a site visit on a SWA captain who was on vaca in Cal and ended up in the ER. ED doc decided it was GERD. Local physician a month later concurred. The record was 80 pages long due to the computerization of the MR (hard to really believe, but it was true). I could have just taken the discharge summary and the local doc's disposition page.

But to make a point, I printed all 80 pages and handed it to the site visit analyst. I have never been audited again.
 
Thanks! I'll see if I can get a note from the doc when this is all said and done.

I'm male, 5'9, 134 lbs, don't smoke. At the visit my BP was 102/62, oximetry 98%. My CAD risk factors as far as I can tell are 1) aging, 2) gender, 3) physical inactivity. And that third one is my big problem. I lead a too-sedentary lifestyle. Job is in front of a computer, a bunch of my hobbies are in front of a computer.

I'm hoping this is GERD but I don't feel like my symptoms are exactly in-line with GERD, and I haven't historically had any issue with acid-reflux type stuff. We shall see.

bbchien said:
Almost agree. For a 33 y.o. male, the presumption will be that this is CAD. so bring either your office visit that concluded this to be GERD, or a note from the doc saying that you are followed for GERD. And that will be all.

AMEs get audited. A note like that can save the day. Personally, in this situation I take such a supporting note (if I'm reading an EPIC record I read the whole 5 pages to make sure there's nothing damaging in there) and then send the record in to the masterfile.

My RFS asked for the record during a site visit on a SWA captain who was on vaca in Cal and ended up in the ER. ED doc decided it was GERD. Local physician a month later concurred. The record was 80 pages long due to the computerization of the MR (hard to really believe, but it was true). I could have just taken the discharge summary and the local doc's disposition page.

But to make a point, I printed all 80 pages and handed it to the site visit analyst. I have never been audited again.
Click to expand...
 
bbchien said:
Almost agree. For a 33 y.o. male, the presumption will be that this is CAD. so bring either your office visit that concluded this to be GERD, or a note from the doc saying that you are followed for GERD. And that will be all.

AMEs get audited. A note like that can save the day. Personally, in this situation I take such a supporting note (if I'm reading an EPIC record I read the whole 5 pages to make sure there's nothing damaging in there) and then send the record in to the masterfile.

My RFS asked for the record during a site visit on a SWA captain who was on vaca in Cal and ended up in the ER. ED doc decided it was GERD. Local physician a month later concurred. The record was 80 pages long due to the computerization of the MR (hard to really believe, but it was true). I could have just taken the discharge summary and the local doc's disposition page.

But to make a point, I printed all 80 pages and handed it to the site visit analyst. I have never been audited again.
Click to expand...

Thank you, Bruce, sorry if I use you as a textbook to hone my skills.
 
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