The trial over Yale New Haven (Conn.) Hospital’s policy of cognitive testing for physicians over age 70 will begin Aug. 27, CT Insider reported Aug. 19.
The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the hospital in 2020 over cognitive testing for older staff members, claiming the policy is age discrimination. The hospital’s late-career practitioner policy, which launched in 2016, is designed to find a small subset of older physicians who represent a patient safety risk due to declining mental acuity, and is still in force, a hospital spokesperson told Insider.
Cognitive tests are common across the nation and an estimated 200 health systems and hospitals use them. Studies from Yale New Haven Hospital and Hartford (Conn.) Healthcare found 12.7% to 14.4% of physicians over 70 who were screened showed some degree of cognitive impairment.
The issue has become more prevalent as 22.4% of physicians in 2025 were 65 or older. At older ages, reaction times slow, knowledge can become outdated and some can experience cognitive decline. However, systems do not want to push experienced physicians out of patient care. Proponents of the screenings say the programs could prevent patient harm and allow physicians to take on less demanding assignments or more easily transition to teaching, mentoring and consulting. However, many physicians choose to retire rather than undergo evaluation.
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