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089072 1 (1977-01-27)

handle is hein.gao/gaobacvbx0001 and id is 1 raw text is: UNITED STATES GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D C 20548 COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION JAN 2 7 1977 The Honorable John L McLucas Administrator, Federal Aviation Admi nistration Department of Transportation Dear Dr McLucas We have reviewed the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) procedures for determining whether all civilian airmen are medically fit to fly Our review of how FAA makes that assessment showed that the required airmen physical standards and examinations will not identify all disqualifying medical conditions and that FAA needs other sources to identify airmen with disqualifying medical conditions Physicians who encounter airmen in their routine practices are an important source A Federal statute, however, requiring private physicians to report medically unfit airmen or granting physicians immunity for providing such information might be subject to legal attack Unlike the Federal Government, States which license physicians have a right to place a reporting duty upon physicians and grant them immunity Because FAA needs all pertinent medical information regarding airmen, we believe States should be encouraged to enact legislation granting physicians immunity from civil responsibility for reporting patient medical data to FAA concerning alrmen In our review we --evaluated FAA's medical standards, examination procedures, and program management, --reviewed court decisions and State laws requiring physicians to report patient medical information, and --interviewed officials at FAA's Washington, D C headquarters 1 /OR1O1Z