Should Late Career Physicians Undergo Mandatory Testing to Evaluate Competency? (2023 AMW)
2023 AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO Experience
Thirty percent of all physicians in the United States (U.S.) are 65 years of age or older. Calls for increased accountability by the public has resulted in the implementation of age-based screening programs by some health care systems and regulators. However, these screening programs are controversial because their ability to predict a clinician’s subsequent quality of care has not been proven. In addition, while aging is a risk factor for cognitive impairment, the association between specific cognitive deficits and physician practice performance remains ill-defined. In 2020, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against Yale New Haven Hospital Inc., alleging that mandatory age-based testing of physicians violates the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. The outcome of this federal whistleblower lawsuit will establish a precedent for competency testing of physicians nationwide. The presenters in this seminar will debate the merits of age-based physician competency testing, highlighting its potential impact on patient care and physicians’ careers as well as the size of the physician workforce.
Credits
CME:1.0, MOC:1.0