FINDING A ‘GOOD’ AME

At first glance, this might sound like I am suggesting you find another doc, nope, not the case.  Due to the rapid changes in the flying business (read: DHL fracas) of late many airman have been in for their ‘last’ physical and asked for an AME referral closer to their home state,  A number of those were in areas where I do not have any recommendations. 

Carole and I have put together some suggestions, considerations and explanations on how the AME ‘system’ works and how you might use that understanding to locate a “good” one.

Dr. Silberman, the manager of the medical certification division at OKC, wrote an article in the Jan-Feb issue of FAA Aviation News on getting an AME.  Read the first paragraph !!!   Click here to go to the issue

SOME BORING BUT IMPORTANT INFO:

Medicine is changing rapidly and AME's are disappearing off the vine faster than they are being replaced.  A fact strongly supported by inter-doc conversations at my last FAA AME seminar [Feb ‘09]. 

AME’s are disappearing because doing a flight physical requires more time from the Doc and the staff than an average office encounter.  Offices are groups run by business managers and NOT by the doc nowadays. Time = $$.  Therefore if the business manager sees they can fit three regular patients into the same time frame as one FAA physical at $75-100 each (a very minimal number), guess what office service gets dropped?   

When I specify a “good” AME I am thinking of professionals whose job is on the line every physical and if you have a special issuance (health issue) in any class you want to trust your AME is a pilot advocate.  One who will be proactive and really go to bat for you – not simply defer your case to the FAA.  There are some indicators that your potential new doc will be someone you can work with.  Please remember the info that follows is not meant to be hard and fast rules, rather they are guidelines to aid you.

 FIND AN AME IN A CERTAIN AREA:

The FAA web site has several good methods for locating an AME by City, County, State, etc.  Go to:  http://www.faa.gov/pilots/amelocator/    Notice about the 4^th line down it says ….by city (ATR).  That particular list will contain ONLY Senior AME’s, obviously important to professionals.  By selecting one of the options you should be in your geographical area of interest.

WHAT TO DO WITH THE INFORMATION:

If you are a professional pilot I suggest you go right to the list of only Senior AME’s.  Obviously a 2^nd class exam does not require a Senior AME but I am certain you would want to eventually upgrade.  I suggest you start building a relationship with a Senior AME you can stay with, hopefully throughout your career, rather than starting the process again.

1.      Notice a list of AME’s will come up for whatever criteria you have selected.  Click on the AME’s number next to their name for an abbreviated bio.

2.      Check if the AME is a pilot.  It is always good to know that the doc knows which end of the airplane to throw the burning newspaper to get it started!  This information may be helpful; certainly a flying doc has a higher interest in being an advocate.  That said, I admit to knowing a few that have claimed ‘student pilot’ status for years!

3.      Check the “appointment date” which is when the FAA designated him/her as an AME.  The farther back, usually the more experienced.

4.      What is their specialty and your tolerance level?  A pediatrician -- do you want to get stuck in a waiting room full of sick kids?  OB/Gyn, will the doc be off officiating at a ‘birthday party’ during your appointment time?  Etc. etc.

5.      There are all the usual considerations, convenient location, parking, length of time to get an appointment, etc.

6.      THE “REPORT CARD”  Let’s assume you have identified several possible candidates and are now ready to start calling offices. Here is some information that is not common knowledge among pilots but AME’s and their staff are keenly tuned into.  The AME gets a ‘report card’ annually from the OKC office showing:

a.      How many exams they did in the past year, broken down by classes.  i.e., 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd.

b.      How many errors occurred

c.      How many physicals were electronically transmitted in a timely manner.  (14 days or less is the rule and AME credentials will be withdrawn for infraction of this one.)

d.      When the AME last trained and when their next training is due.  (This is a mandatory 3 year cycle and another reason for pulling credentials.)

Getting this info from an AME’s office may not require any more than asking the person that answers the phone.  Believe me, ALL the office staff checked to see how they did when that report came in!   Assuming you haven’t reached an answering service and the individual says they ‘don’t know’ or gives some excuse, jack up your index of suspicion.  Unashamedly ask how many exams they did and what their error rate was.  Unfortunately this report is not available anyplace on line but, it ain’t Top Secret Stuff either and you’re looking for an office that is proud to share their numbers!

7.      First question – “How many FAA exams did you do last year?”  You want to hear a minimum of 50 – 60 and for a professional, a minimum of 100.  We did in excess of 600/700 but then I’m older than Methuselah.

8.      Second question –  “Do you do many Special Issuances?”  This answer will give you good insight into just how much the doc supports pilots.  Special Issuance’s take a lot of time and effort.  If the AME is willing to do them, it is a good omen.
 

9.      Last question – and it’s very important – “How many errors did you have on your last report?”  If the percentage is below 1% that’s an A+ in anybody’s grade book.  Here comes a brag – we had zero.