Medical fails may climb

[Whine Lover]

November 22, 2013 FAA?s Policy Statement on Sleep Apnea: Update
Yesterday?s FastRead (November 21, 2013) notified the membership that ALPA was aware of the FAA?s new policy on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and that we were engaging the FAA and industry on this matter. ALPA has maintained a steady dialogue with FAA and industry stakeholders. As a result of our follow up with the FAA?s leadership, we were informed today that the proposed policy statement on OSA is just that and no more; no decision has been made by the FAA to implement the OSA policy statement. ALPA has requested that the FAA send out a bulletin to their Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs) as soon as possible to affirm the fact that no policy change has taken place. We continue to collaborate with FAA and other industry stakeholders who share our concerns with the OSA statement.
Despite the FAA?s stance, it has come to ALPA?s attention that some AMEs may be proceeding with new body mass-related sleep apnea screening protocols and may proactively seek to determine whether a pilot suffers from OSA as part of a medical certification exam.
Any ALPA member who is told that they must have a mandatory sleep apnea assessment in accordance with the FAA?s policy statement should report it to ALPA?s Aeromedical Office at 1-866-237-6633.

 

[Bringupthebird]

Wow, so that's what it's like when adults run a union.

 

[Flopgut]

Airline safety record is such that the medical community ought to try an learn from us, instead of trying to pick us apart over BMI. Their errors kill a lot more people than pilots errors.

 

[LearLove]

Airline safety record is such that the medical community ought to try an learn from us, instead of trying to pick us apart over BMI. Their errors kill a lot more people than pilots errors.

They are trying to learn from us. I recently had an anesthesiologist ask me for information on my airlines threat and error management program.

 

[Flopgut]

They are trying to learn from us. I recently had an anesthesiologist ask me for information on my airlines threat and error management program.

That's cool. I think I maybe heard they were dabbling with our safety systems. They sure have a long way to go though. Devastating medical errors are rampant.

 

[Flopgut]

Wow, so that's what it's like when adults run a union.

Reminder to you: prater felt it necessary to include in the age 65 legislation the wording that no new medical criteria would be written. Why do you suppose he did that? He knew this would be the sort of fallout.

 

[Dan Roman]

Airline safety record is such that the medical community ought to try an learn from us, instead of trying to pick us apart over BMI. Their errors kill a lot more people than pilots errors.

I agree with you here. They are way behind on CRM skills in the operating room. Doctors don't tend to listen to subordinates, as a result, mistakes are made.

 

[Bringupthebird]

Apparently someone in Washington is listening

http://www.usatoday.com/story/today...-apnea-house-transportation-lobiondo/3868367/

 

[densoo]

FAA will move forward with sleep apnea policy. 12 December.

AOPA and others have objected to the new testing requirements, saying they force AMEs to venture into predictive medicine, rather than focusing on their mandate of determining the likelihood that a pilot will be medically incapacitated at some point in the duration of the medical certificate. The association also has argued that such a significant change needs to go through the rulemaking process to allow public input and the opportunity to explore less intrusive and less costly methods for addressing concerns about sleep disorders.

But during the nearly two-hour webinar, Dr. Fred Tilton, who was joined by Dr. Mark Rosekind of the NTSB and Dr. Mark Ivey, a board-certified sleep specialist, characterized the sleep apnea screening requirements as a "process enhancement" rather than a policy change. As a result, Tilton said, the FAA does not need to, and won?t, go through the rulemaking process. He added that the policy will be implemented in early January when AMEs will receive formal guidance from the FAA.

While he acknowledged that there have been no fatal GA accidents attributed to sleep apnea, Tilton said the FAA is pursuing this policy because sleep apnea is a serious problem in other modes of transportation and the agency believes many pilots may be flying with undiagnosed sleep disorders.

AOPA is insisting that the FAA withdraw the policy or submit to the rulemaking process. In a Dec. 12 letter to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, AOPA reiterated its objection to the policy and warned that a webinar is no substitute for rulemaking.

"I am deeply troubled by the manner in which the Federal Air Surgeon is proceeding, and call upon you to put a stop to it so that all concerned parties can have input in determining how to most effectively address concerns regarding sleep disorders," wrote AOPA President Mark Baker.

The letter also noted that the FAA is moving forward on this policy at a time when Congress has just introduced the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act, legislation that would revise third-class medical requirements to expand the number of pilots who could fly without an FAA medical. Congress introduced the legislation after waiting 21 months for FAA to respond to a petition from AOPA and the Experimental Aircraft Association seeking more limited changes to the medical requirements.

Earlier this month, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee also took action, passing legislation that would require the FAA to go through the rulemaking process before implementing policy changes related to sleep disorders. The measure is now poised for a vote by the full House. Similar legislation affecting sleep disorders and the truck driving industry recently became law.

The Civil Aviation Medical Association, which is composed of aviation medical examiners, has also objected to the new policy, saying that the FAA is not tasked to provide long-term prognoses, there is no scientific evidence that undiagnosed obesity or OSA has compromised aviation safety, and that a sudden increase in the demand for special issuance medicals would add to existing processing delays.

http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/...orward-with-sleep-apnea-policy.aspx?CMP=ADV:2

 

[densoo]

A "process enhancement." Nice. Fifty die in Buffalo and it takes four years to address the fatigue issue (and decades since science showed it was a problem). And to think they could have simply enhanced their processes and given us more rest in 2010.