So if..(ahem.. WHEN) PBOR passes.....

Doggtyred

Doggtyred

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Dave
It looks like the vast majority of 3rd class licenses will no longer need to be issued... Part 91/non revenue with 6 seats or less and 6000 lbs or less.

Any how many airmen are affected out of the pool, and what this will do to the AME pool? Think a lot of the family doc types doing this will let it go? or simply be excluded from the program due to a lack of need? I dont forsee the number of folks functioning in the role of Senior AME's who issue 1st class medicals changing much, but the others... might not be worth it anymore.
 
The AME I used last said about half his business was 3rd class but he is in a small commercial market. I asked him what he thought he would do and he said perhaps retire.
 
DFH65 said:
The AME I used last said about half his business was 3rd class but he is in a small commercial market. I asked him what he thought he would do and he said perhaps retire.
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He can't just treat patients with medical issues?

Find a new AME!

It's like: I'm an auto mechanic, but all I do is state inspections. It's easier that way.
 
rolivi said:
He can't just treat patients with medical issues?

Find a new AME!

It's like: I'm an auto mechanic, but all I do is state inspections. It's easier that way.
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I think it is just what he does and specializes in. He is old enough to retire and I think this is a part time (several days a week) gig for him now. So why reinvent the wheel at this point. He is a pilot maybe he will just fly more.
 
DFH65 said:
I think it is just what he does and specializes in. He is old enough to retire and I think this is a part time (several days a week) gig for him now. So why reinvent the wheel at this point. He is a pilot maybe he will just fly more.
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That would be evidence of the time old suggestion that "Medical reform can't pass because there's too much money in it for the Docs and they'll lobby it out"

So again, if your AME is just collecting $100 every 2 years from people, you might want a new AME. Not saying anything negative about getting to where 15 mins costs $100... just saying that a Dr who would retire for the loss of revenue is a good person to avoid. (Unless of course he's not a Good Dr and you can avoid an SI with his rubber stamp/ rent payment mentality)
 
With due respect to AME and their training as doctors specializing in flight medicine, how many would mourn the loss of H&R Block if the IRS went away?

(Before we go there, I'm not saying that AME are low paid tax preparers, I'm saying we have AME to ensure that regulations are enforced.)
 
rolivi said:
That would be evidence of the time old suggestion that "Medical reform can't pass because there's too much money in it for the Docs and they'll lobby it out"

So again, if your AME is just collecting $100 every 2 years from people, you might want a new AME. Not saying anything negative about getting to where 15 mins costs $100... just saying that a Dr who would retire for the loss of revenue is a good person to avoid. (Unless of course he's not a Good Dr and you can avoid an SI with his rubber stamp/ rent payment mentality)
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I don't get that at all from a doc saying they might retire if it passes. He is probably doing it as a side job/public service. Just because you enjoy doing something does not mean you are bad at it or shady.
 
Kiddo's Driver said:
I don't get that at all from a doc saying they might retire if it passes. He is probably doing it as a side job/public service. Just because you enjoy doing something does not mean you are bad at it or shady.
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This guy is neither bad or shady. I think very highly of him. As I said it is already part time for him but I imagine if you cut 50% of the business it probably isn't worth maintaining an office and an Admin (who does most of the work (paperwork) anyway).
 
steingar said:
That's a real milestone, the House was always the holdup. This has passed the Senate a couple times. President still has to sign it, but I can't believe he'd veto this.
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I can, but as big as PBOR2 is to us, it's a sideline issue on the FAA re-authorization. The rest of the non-pilot population is completely unaware of this aspect of the bill.
S.571 had as much appeal and newsworthiness as H.R.3601 — 114th Congress (2015-2016)
To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 7715 Post Road, North Kingstown, Rhode Island, as the "Melvoid J. Benson Post Office Building" to the general public.
 
With a few exceptions, being an AME is not a profit center in their practice - in spite of comments from some on here.
A few decades back I was asked if I wanted to go the AME route. I looked at the number of patients I was seeing a day/week and adding even a few more patients a week was not high on my list of wants so I passed on it.
For those docs who do AME: good on ya, keep up the good work.
 
rolivi said:
That would be evidence of the time old suggestion that "Medical reform can't pass because there's too much money in it for the Docs and they'll lobby it out"

So again, if your AME is just collecting $100 every 2 years from people, you might want a new AME. Not saying anything negative about getting to where 15 mins costs $100... just saying that a Dr who would retire for the loss of revenue is a good person to avoid. (Unless of course he's not a Good Dr and you can avoid an SI with his rubber stamp/ rent payment mentality)
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Most AME's I see on the local list are folks I know to be actively practicing as family/internal med docs who do this as an addition to their practice, not the sole basis. Many are pilots themselves, hence the interest in the first place. Granted there are SOME AME's who might choose to do this as a vocation without being a Senior AME in a domicile/hub market, but when you are of retirement age with one foot out the door, its not a fair judgement to say you should avoid them when the obstacles to rebuilding/transitioning a practice might make it impractical if not impossible. Sure, some providers sell their signatures. We have a herd of such docs going to jail in Texas for "pain management"/improper prescribing of opiates, but that does not imply that a doc running an primarily AME practice sells his signature or is not a reputable clinician
 
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