AME as Primary Care?

[Rocket]

I was considering selecting a primary care physician who is also my AME. My hope/theory is, if a medical issue arises, my AME physician who has direct experience with my situation can properly report the situation to the FAA at medical renewal time. Currently I use an HMO and some of the Docs have been reluctant to make a statement on my behalf and the best they will do is tell me to obtain a copy of my medical records. Can anyone relate any experience or offer advice on having your primary care physician one and the same as your AME? Thanks.

 

[AdamZ]

Generally not a good idea. Remember there may be issues you want to resolve with your primary before going to the AME. NOT TO SAY keep things from him but you may be more likely to resove any potential problems or have them appropriately classified in such a manner as to avoid an uncessary grounding. Now going to a different AME as your primary is kind of a neat idea.

 

[gprellwitz]

FWIW, what Adam said is the advice I've generally heard, too.

 

[KennyFlys]

I agree with Adam. It seems good on the surface but the last thing you want is putting your AME on the spot with knowledge he may be forced to turn over to the FAA.

A recent analogy would be me shopping for a personal auto insurance policy and leaving behind a commercial policy. I have four tickets in the last three years. I asked my agent to shop for a possible company that might ignore the tickets. But, he could not do that as he already knew about them. It would put him at risk with representing that company no different than withholding critical medical information would put that AME at risk of keeping his FAA AME certificate.

What I do wonder is... if one chose an alternate AME for a personal physician, if the physician knew you were a certificated pilot with a current medical, could he be also be forced into a difficult situation? Or, would you withhold all information you were a pilot?

Professional pilots would be pretty much stuck in the situation since type of employment is usually part of a medical record.

 

[RotaryWingBob]

What the others said -- not a good idea

 

[Chairboy]

Very bad, don't do it.

 

[RogerT]

Well I know what you hear .. but in the 30 + years I've been flying
I've NEVER had a doctor besides the AME I used. I've been lucky to
not have any major medical issues so I'm sure that's a factor. But I
found it easier to just go to one guy all the time. An example was I
was having low back problems and I went to the doc (AME) .. he did
some xrays .. found nothing that he could see. I asked that if
he was going to give me a prescription .. make it something that wouldn't
keep me out of the air. I just don't see the conflict. If I have something
wrong that I shouldn't be in the air .. I'm not going to be.

Of course .. my AME retired .. and I'm just doing the Sport Pilot thing since
that's all I need. So I do need to find another doc .. preferably one that's
at least a pilot.

RT