Medical fails may climb

[densoo]

I wonder if Harvey Watt will be ready for the onslaught? And everyone here thinks that their insurance will pay for it, but if you need a referral from a Primary Care Physician, they may not give it without some symptoms of sleep apnea. Then you'll be on the hook for the hundreds or thousands of dollars in testing expense.

If the FAA can get away with bypassing the rulemaking process, how secure do you think other FAA policies such as ASAP, union participation in accident investigation and perhaps the longstanding policy of not punishing pilots involved in accidents with jail time?

When the NTSB report on the Bronx train crash shows the driver was a graveyard shift worker who had recently gone to the day shift and that sleep adjustment and fatigue were factors, watch the FAA fast track this program with public and political support.

 

[LJ45]

When the NTSB report on the Bronx train crash shows the driver was a graveyard shift worker who had recently gone to the day shift and that sleep adjustment and fatigue were factors, watch the FAA fast track this program with public and political support.

No the real problem was one person in the cockpit (or whatever they call it on a train) with no automatic backup system.

Really? With all the safety systems we have...we can't monitor the train speed vs. location and have an automatic brake system if the driver doesn't apply the brakes when they should.

 

[scoreboardII]

When the NTSB report on the Bronx train crash shows the driver was a graveyard shift worker who had recently gone to the day shift and that sleep adjustment and fatigue were factors, watch the FAA fast track this program with public and political support.

With the requisite higher taxes on the riders. Of airlines.

 

[densoo]

No the real problem was one person in the cockpit (or whatever they call it on a train) with no automatic backup system.

Really? With all the safety systems we have...we can't monitor the train speed vs. location and have an automatic brake system if the driver doesn't apply the brakes when they should.

You mean like Asiana 214? Yes, I know, big difference. But will the public know or care?

 

[Bringupthebird]

When the NTSB report on the Bronx train crash shows the driver was a graveyard shift worker who had recently gone to the day shift and that sleep adjustment and fatigue were factors, watch the FAA fast track this program with public and political support.

That doesn't matter. What matters is what does he look like. If he's overweight it's a forgone conclusion that he must be a snoring, stupid, ticking insurance time bomb. There is no other conclusion, right?

And not only should we be protected from this menace to society, but they make a significant negative impact on the aesthetics of society. We can justify our prejudice on any level we want.

Would President Obama have said the Trayvon Martin could have been his son if Trayvon was 5'9" and weighed 300lbs?

 

[waveflyer]

Wow, BruptheBird

Going off the rails there man-
Esp when you supported the age change

All of us said this increased scrutiny would happen
Now you want to blame Obama?

Go fish man

 

[Bringupthebird]

Not sure how you spun a commentary on the FAA's Guilty Until Proven Innocent grab of authority and how a person's weight is now a socially acceptable bigotry into "blaming Obama".

If the FAA wants to go through the NPRM process and pass a new reg that says the max weight for a class 1 physical is 200 lbs, then let them try and do it. To disregard the public input to something that affects ALL pilots (not just those with a mandatory retirement age) and withhold a medical until certain pilots pass a very subjective screening for a condition that has not contributed to any accidents is IMHO wrong.

If you lie about any condition on your medical application, your medical is denied or revoked. If the FAA feels that the majority of AMEs are unethical and are issuing medicals to unqualified pilots, then they should deal with that.

Tying this to the raising of the retirement age is a straw man.

Explain how you feel Age 65 is related to FAA Aeromedical overreach and why you think that had the retirement age remained at 60, they would have been kept at bay.

 

[inline]

Wow, BruptheBird

Going off the rails there man-
Esp when you supported the age change

All of us said this increased scrutiny would happen
Now you want to blame Obama?

Go fish man

You and your ilk have been blaming George W. Bush for everything the last 13 years, talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

 

[waveflyer]

You and your ilk have been blaming George W. Bush for everything the last 13 years, talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

No
Bush was responsible for what he was responsible for

This medical overreach now that we have an extended retirement age

AINT A F^CKING COINCIDENCE

 

[scoreboardII]

Harvey Watts laughing all the way to the bank. They don't have to pay because all they have to say is "your fat, you didn't lose weight, its a self imposed condition, no paycheck for you!" Plus, they'll look back at your medicals/Dr visits to see what your BMI was at date of starting the LOL payments, further proving it was an existing condition.

And SWAPA is already fighting for a few dudes who on the advice of Doctors, did not do something HW wanted, and HW is denying their payments. So it is already happening.

Has anyone heard on peep from any insurer on this? No, they were consulted before its announcement and already know they are safe, in fact better than safe, they can deny more claims while raking in premiums.

Wake up folks!

 

[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.