TRAVERSE CITY — The Michigan State Medical Society is pushing back as some hospitals are considering required cognitive exams for physicians of a certain age.
The discussion comes as state lawmakers are considering a bill to reduce the amount of continuing education needed to maintain a medical license.
Tom George is CEO of the State Medical Society, a professional group representing physicians and medical students.
George, an anesthesiologist who recently retired after four decades of clinical practice, says that Michigan’s certification system is able to properly assess skill level at any age.
“It’s designed to provide a balance — to protect the public, but also to acknowledge that medicine’s complicated, and, you know, having cookie cutter answers for everything doesn’t always work,” he said. “All patients are different. All these situations are different.”
Medical licenses must be renewed every three years in Michigan, including 50 hours of required continuing education per year.
George also says that being too selective or increasing re-certification requirements could drive some doctors out of practice.
“It’s a thorny question, because we face a physician shortage,” he said. “We want our physicians to be able to continue to practice as long as is reasonable and help our communities — it’s especially an issue in rural areas.”
Michigan patients have avenues to report potential malpractice or incompetence by their doctor.
George also says that most medical work is done in a group setting, with other professionals who are required to report any suspected issues to the state.
Complaints from professionals or patients are reviews by the Michigan Board of Medicine, a governor-appointed body.
“I think the the system we have now is probably about as good as it’s going to be,” George said.
George also says that policy makers should avoid potentially ageist practices, like hard cut-offs for retirement.
“I don’t think that there is a place or a need yet to automatically test physicians when they reach a certain age, and that’s because aging is so different for everyone,”
Also, Michigan lawmakers are considering a bill to halve the amount of required education to 75 hours for each three-year period.
Erin Reise, Associate Chief Academic Officer for McLaren Health Care, says that the medical field is already well-equipped to deal with retirements or departures in the workforce.
“There’s always going to be physicians that are retiring — McLaren, Health Care serves a lot of rural communities, and we want to make sure that there’s always a provider to serve that community,” she said.
In a statement, Munson Healthcare said that they work off of the state’s standards.
“Munson Healthcare fully adheres to these state requirements and maintains additional internal policies, credentialing processes, and ongoing performance evaluations to ensure our physicians, at every stage of their careers, demonstrate the skills and clinical judgment needed to provide exceptional care.”