BasicMed Follow Up

The BasicMed exam follows a similar structure to an FAA physical with one big difference. In an FAA medical, the doctor needs to identify if body parts, organ systems and other general things such as blood pressure are: Normal or Abnormal. If the AME finds something abnormal, s/he must provide a narrative. By identifying an abnormality, the AME is making a diagnosis of sorts. In a BasicMed exam, the same body parts and organ systems only need to be examined, but not identified as normal or abnormal, thus no diagnosis is made.

lbencini-tibo

Friday, June 15, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Evolution owners can get support for their airplanes from the Evolution Service Network. Evolution Aircraft/Jessica Ambats

Key Takeaways:

A survey of flying physicians revealed significant hesitancy, particularly among Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs), to perform BasicMed exams, primarily due to concerns about liability and a perceived lack of clear medical standards.
The author clarifies that BasicMed exams, unlike FAA medicals, do not involve diagnosis or treatment, which may reduce a physician's liability exposure, and questions AMEs' understanding of FAA liability protection.
BasicMed offers benefits to eligible pilots by simplifying medical certification, especially for those with special issuances, and places a strong emphasis on the pilot's responsibility for self-certification of fitness before each flight.

See a mistake? Contact us.

For the February 2018 issue ofIFR, I wrote “BasicMed Status Report.” In March 2018, with the help of the Flying Physician Association (FPA), I was able to conduct a survey of doctors on BasicMed and 79 members out of a membership of 531 chose to respond.

In preparing the results and considering insights from the survey, I was reminded of an old joke: A mathematician, an accountant, and a statistician were asked, “What is two plus two?” The mathematician answers directly, “Four.” The accountant ponders a moment and answers, “Well, it depends.” The statistician smiles broadly and confidently answers, “What would you like it to be?”