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FAA medical officers tell AMEs to stop emailing sensitive pilot records, clarify counselor reporting rules
Summary
FAA medical officers instructed aviation medical examiners not to email personally identifiable or private medical data to AMCD, directing use of the agency's AMCS portal or postal mail when AME is not the AMA of record; they also issued guidance for psychotherapists on consent and when to notify AMCD about safety risks.
Christie Risley, moderator, opened the AME Grand Rounds and introduced Dr. Northrop and Dr. Greg Bendrick, who led the session on AMCD policy updates.
Dr. Greg Bendrick, staff physician and medical officer in the Aerospace Medical Certification Division at the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, told attending AMEs that email is not a secure channel for personally identifiable information or private medical records and that such messages to AMCD or FAA staff will be deleted. "Do not email anything to AMCD or, to any of us here at the FAA, with that has such information in it," he said, adding that the correct method for electronic submission is upload into AMCS. He instructed that if an AME is not the AME of record or has not transmitted the exam through AMCS, the proper alternative is postal mail to the FAA for scanning.
The presenter also reviewed a new FAA information sheet for psychotherapists, counselors and licensed clinical social workers treating pilots or air traffic controllers with safety-sensitive duties. Dr. Greg Bendrick said clinicians should obtain consent from the pilot for release of relevant progress notes (not every treatment note) and should contact AMCD if, in their professional judgment, the patient poses a safety risk to the national airspace: "We really want the counselor or the treating psychotherapist... to inform us of that if that becomes, a situation develops." He emphasized that the psychiatry workflow email address is not intended for pilots to inquire about case status or timelines.
The session closed with a reminder that AMCS remains the agency's secure portal for medical uploads and that current file-size limitations may require multiple uploads for large studies (AMCS limits were discussed and are being revised). No formal rule changes or regulatory actions were reported; the presentation conveyed current practice and documentation expectations for AMEs and treating clinicians.
