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Patient Safety and Quality Improvement

Should Late Career Physicians Undergo Mandatory Testing to Evaluate Competency?

Monday, October 2, 2023
9:15 AM - 10:15 AM East Coast USA Time
Location: 202A

    Moderator(s)

  • John W. Werning, MD, DMD

    Otolaryngologist
    ProMedica Physician Group
    Sylvania, OH, United States

    • Panelist(s)

  • Carl H. Snyderman, MD, MBA

    Professor
    University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
    Pittsburgh, PA, United States

  • David M. Cognetti, MD

    Professor and Chair, Department of Otolaryngology
    Thomas Jefferson University
    Philadelphia, PA, United States

  • Carol R. Bradford, MD

    Dean and Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
    The Ohio State University College of Medicine
    Columbus, OH, United States

Disclosure(s):
Carl H. Snyderman, MD, MBA: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Carol R. Bradford, MD: No relevant relationships to disclose.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: 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.

OUTCOME OBJECTIVE 1: Explain the various factors that impact physician competence and practice performance.

OUTCOME OBJECTIVE 2: Examine the arguments for and against age-based physician competency testing.

OUTCOME OBJECTIVE 3: Recognize the importance of developing guidelines and methods of screening and assessment of physician competency to ensure the provision of safe and effective care for patients.

BACKGROUND STATEMENT: Otolaryngologists need to be aware of the increasing number of age-based physician testing programs as well as the drawbacks and potential implications of competency testing. This is a timely panel presentation since the Yale New Haven age discrimination lawsuit is ongoing.