When BasicMed became regulatory 10 years ago, many physicians were initially reluctant to participate. It was groundbreaking legislation, to be sure, and today more than 50,000 pilots are medically self-certifying with a BasicMed qualification.
BasicMed physical exams can be conducted by any “state-licensed physician,” either an MD or DO. The physical exam is straightforward, and somewhat less involved than an AME-performed exam for a Third-Class medical certificate. However, some physicians are still reluctant to do these exams for pilots, perhaps because of a lack of understanding of the responsibilities of the pilot to medically self-certify that they can safely exercise flying privileges during the time their BasicMed qualification is in effect.
The Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist (CMEC) is a two-part form completed by the pilot and the physician and includes an attestation that the physician has “discussed all items on this checklist with the individual during my examination, discussed any medications the individual is taking that could interfere with their ability to safely operate an aircraft or motor vehicle, and performed an examination that included all items on this checklist. I certify that I am not aware of any medical condition that, as presently treated, could interfere with the individual’s ability to safely operate an aircraft.”
If your family physician is initially hesitant to sign off on your BasicMed, there may be valid reasons why. Some large corporate medical practices may have a policy to not perform any exams such as school sports physicals or DoT commercial driver physicals. FAA-designated Aviation Medical Examiners were initially discouraged from doing BasicMed when it became effective in 2017; however, AMEs are ideally suited to perform the exams. In many cases, they already have an existing relationship with their pilots who have been seeing them for FAA physical exams. If the pilot who has held a medical certificate chooses to transition from a medical to BasicMed, the AME who is doing BasicMed exams can retain that pilot in the practice, just not for a regular FAA medical exam. The BasicMed physical exam is required every 48 months, but many pilots using BasicMed see their doctor more frequently than in the 4-year interval, and that’s fine.
We often speak with pilots who want to renew their BasicMed qualifications sooner than the regulatory renewal times—every 24 calendar months for the online course, and 48 calendar months for the physical exam. If you want to get the physical exam sooner than the 48-month interval, just download the CMEC form and schedule an exam with your BasicMed doctor. Then complete the online BasicMed course, pass the quiz at the end, and submit the course completion form to the FAA. Your FAA airman registry online record will be updated to show the most recent completion dates for the course and the physical exam.
Next time you see your physician healthcare provider, ask them if they are interested in doing BasicMed physical exams. If they agree, they can add their contact information to the BasicMed Doctor Finder.
