Are Competency Tests Necessary for Aging Physicians?

The average age of physicians is on the rise: According to the American Medical Association, about 42 percent of the nation’s physicians are more than 55 years old and 21 percent are older than 65. Aging physicians are more likely to lose competency and pose a safety threat to patients, and according to Kaiser Health News report, some hospitals and health systems are beginning to institute physical and cognitive tests to avoid these problems.

The University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Stanford (Calif.) Hospital and Clinics, and Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, have recently established physician ability testing policies. At Driscoll and the University of Virginia Health System, physicians over 70 must undergo tests. Stanford physicians over 75 have to be tested, according to the report.

Other hospitals are opposed to testing their physicians based on age. Opponents say a physician’s fitness to practice is already reviewed about every two years, when hospitals choose to renew a physician’s privileges, according to the report.

Are Competency Tests Necessary for Aging Physicians?

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