Basic BasicMed Quesitons

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BasicMedNewb

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Here's the situation: I am working on transitioning to BasicMed. Since my last 3rd class medical, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I'm finding the BasicMed medical exam to be more of a pain than I expected. Here's what's going on:

First, my PGP who I have worked with for years got squeamish over signing off on the BasicMed exam checklist over the "ocular alignment" requirement saying that he doesn't have the equipment to test this. He recommended visiting an eye doctor to get a report on ocular alignment and then coming back to see him for the rest of the exam after which he would be comfortable signing off. This is a workable solution, just inconvenient.

Second, searching for a better option, I read online that a lot of places that do DOT physicals also do BasicMed exams. This doesn't seem to be the case in my area. The one that said they would do the exam balked over my sleep apnea diagnosis (which, for the record, is 100% addressed meaning I am 100% compliant on the CPAP, although I'm not sure how to produce this report [Resmed Airsense 10 if anyone happens to know]).

Final question, the BasicMed forms are organized so you fill out your medical history and give it to your physician. Are they supposed to do something with it, or is it just for providing context for the exam (like in the situation where it's your first time with that doc)? Does that medical history portion need to be filed with the FAA or something?

Thanks for reading and appreciate the help.
 
BasicMedNewb said:
Here's the situation: I am working on transitioning to BasicMed. Since my last 3rd class medical, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I'm finding the BasicMed medical exam to be more of a pain than I expected. Here's what's going on:

First, my PGP who I have worked with for years got squeamish over signing off on the BasicMed exam checklist over the "ocular alignment" requirement saying that he doesn't have the equipment to test this. He recommended visiting an eye doctor to get a report on ocular alignment and then coming back to see him for the rest of the exam after which he would be comfortable signing off. This is a workable solution, just inconvenient.

Second, searching for a better option, I read online that a lot of places that do DOT physicals also do BasicMed exams. This doesn't seem to be the case in my area. The one that said they would do the exam balked over my sleep apnea diagnosis (which, for the record, is 100% addressed meaning I am 100% compliant on the CPAP, although I'm not sure how to produce this report [Resmed Airsense 10 if anyone happens to know]).

Final question, the BasicMed forms are organized so you fill out your medical history and give it to your physician. Are they supposed to do something with it, or is it just for providing context for the exam (like in the situation where it's your first time with that doc)? Does that medical history portion need to be filed with the FAA or something?

Thanks for reading and appreciate the help.
Click to expand...
You hold on to the signed form 8700-2 ("in your logbook" I.e. a safe spot) unless requested by the FAA. Otherwise the FAA never sees it.
 
Find another doctor. There nothing on the checklist that requires special equipment.
 
Clip4 said:
Find another doctor. There nothing on the checklist that requires special equipment.
Click to expand...

Occular alignment can be tested with nothing more than a penlight and something (your hand, small card) to temporarily block one eye. Frankly, all the FAA wants is "do you have double vision?"
 
flyingron said:
Occular alignment can be tested with nothing more than a penlight and something (your hand, small card) to temporarily block one eye. Frankly, all the FAA wants is "do you have double vision?"
Click to expand...

It's possible I misunderstood - he was focusing on the vision section for sure (hence the eye doctor visit). Here's how that section of the exam reads: "distant, near, and intermediate vision, field of vision, color vision, and ocular alignment". None of that requires anything special? Maybe he literally doesn't have the color number card things. I have no idea at this point...
 
BasicMedNewb said:
It's possible I misunderstood - he was focusing on the vision section for sure (hence the eye doctor visit). Here's how that section of the exam reads: "distant, near, and intermediate vision, field of vision, color vision, and ocular alignment". None of that requires anything special? Maybe he literally doesn't have the color number card things. I have no idea at this point...
Click to expand...
A pen light, eye chart, and a set of Ishihara plates is hardly "special" equipment. Most GPs have them kicking around somewhere.
 
BasicMedNewb said:
It's possible I misunderstood - he was focusing on the vision section for sure (hence the eye doctor visit). Here's how that section of the exam reads: "distant, near, and intermediate vision, field of vision, color vision, and ocular alignment". None of that requires anything special? Maybe he literally doesn't have the color number card things. I have no idea at this point...
Click to expand...

Your doc doesn’t have an eye chart? You passed a color blindness test for your Class III.
 
Here's the thing. Chances are your doc is even less familiar with BasicMed than you are. You may need to educate them, but I doubt passing on what SGOTI said will help.

Not about vision, but when I went for my first, I made a point of pulling up the AME Guide and sending copies of portions I though might be questioned.

About vision, have you asked your doc if they would accept a report from another provider, say your friendly neighborhood optometrist?
 
midlifeflyer said:
Here's the thing. Chances are your doc is even less familiar with BasicMed than you are. You may need to educate them, but I doubt passing on what SGOTI said will help.

Not about vision, but when I went for my first, I made a point of pulling up the AME Guide and sending copies of portions I though might be questioned.

About vision, have you asked your doc if they would accept a report from another provider, say your friendly neighborhood optometrist?
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^^^ Very true.

I didn't use the AME guide, but I described it as similar to the PADI scuba letter he'd been signing for years but written by government bureaucrats rather than professionals.

Their theoretical interest, and my actual interest, is to identify anything that would create a risk of sudden incapacitation at a very awkward time.
 
Oddly enough, they understood the scuba cert letter as they see them more often. My ENT signed mine off during an appointment because he was also a diver.
 
My GP didn't have any of the eye charts and such (at least on any wall or easy to get to) so I brought a copy of my current , signed eyeglass prescription and he was good with that. I know I am color deficient to red/green so I told him, he noted it on the form and that was that.

OP: have you tried the "find a basic med doctor near me" search engine?
 
My doc never did a BasicMed before, but was happy to do it for me. His practice actually has a DMV-type eye machine stashed away in the closet and seemed thrilled to have the nurse drag it out and fire it up. LOL
 
I think the perception of increased liability is mostly due to unfamiliarity. Scuba has been mentioned but one can add permission slips for sports, return to work letters after an industrial accident and other things physicians sign off on every day as somewhat similar - but they are far more familiar than flying dangerous little airplanes.
 
the special equipment for eye alignment thing....
I think this points to a huge shortcoming in the basic med program....it's so simple but yet so complicated.

It should be able to fit on one sheet front and back...directions and all!

My doc's office asked him if he would be willing when I called to set up the appointment. He reluctantly agreed..... and so they made the appointment.

I was sort of embarrassed (for the lack of a better word) that I was showing up with so many pages of instructions printed out for him + the multi-page form. Valuing his time I felt like it was an imposition in a way.
Anyway, he reluctantly ran through the packet. It seemed to me that he was fumbling and unsure with a lot of what they wanted. Somewhere along the way he pulled out an ekg machine and ran a trace...basically because he was looking for something to do it seemed. Said something about basing some of his perspective from experience doing DOT certs. Pretty sure there's nothing there that warrants an ekg!

if they want the pen light and card procedure for eyes...they should call it out by name.... whatever that test is called. I'm sure the doc knows the name of it! Simple as that then there'd be no confusion about this machine they don't have.

As it is, it seems that many of my 3rd and 2nd class exams over the years, at least in some ways, was simpler and more basic than by basic med exam was! Something is definitely wrong with that!

Honestly, when my exam comes due again...if I'm still thinking about flying then....I've been considering that I might just go back for a class 3. It just seems easier and more straightforward. My only real concern is that it has been many years since my last exam....and as I've aged I've been to doctor's many times and have had tests that I barely remember...and probably some that I don't. No way to positively list them all...and with so many gotchas lurking out there with the FAA who knows if anything I've done might trip a red flag.
 
Brad W said:
the special equipment for eye alignment thing....
I think this points to a huge shortcoming in the basic med program....it's so simple but yet so complicated.

It should be able to fit on one sheet front and back...directions and all!

My doc's office asked him if he would be willing when I called to set up the appointment. He reluctantly agreed..... and so they made the appointment.

I was sort of embarrassed (for the lack of a better word) that I was showing up with so many pages of instructions printed out for him + the multi-page form. Valuing his time I felt like it was an imposition in a way.
Anyway, he reluctantly ran through the packet. It seemed to me that he was fumbling and unsure with a lot of what they wanted. Somewhere along the way he pulled out an ekg machine and ran a trace...basically because he was looking for something to do it seemed. Said something about basing some of his perspective from experience doing DOT certs. Pretty sure there's nothing there that warrants an ekg!

if they want the pen light and card procedure for eyes...they should call it out by name.... whatever that test is called. I'm sure the doc knows the name of it! Simple as that then there'd be no confusion about this machine they don't have.

As it is, it seems that many of my 3rd and 2nd class exams over the years, at least in some ways, was simpler and more basic than by basic med exam was! Something is definitely wrong with that!

Honestly, when my exam comes due again...if I'm still thinking about flying then....I've been considering that I might just go back for a class 3. It just seems easier and more straightforward. My only real concern is that it has been many years since my last exam....and as I've aged I've been to doctor's many times and have had tests that I barely remember...and probably some that I don't. No way to positively list them all...and with so many gotchas lurking out there with the FAA who knows if anything I've done might trip a red flag.
Click to expand...
The difficulty depends completely on the physician. There is nothing in the BasicMed exam substantially different from an FAA exam, the form even asks pretty much the same questions. My PCP had no problem doing it in the course of my regular physical and it took very little extra time. Except for one or two questions about the process I am prepared to answer, it was a non-event. So little an imposition, in fact, that she asks me every year if I need to fill out another (I do one every two years now).

But that's YMMV. The program is there to avoid some of the pitfalls of the third class. If you don't need or want to, you stuck with third class.
 
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