Journal Title
Health Law Connections
Volume
2022
Issue
May
First Page
12
Document Type
Article
Publication Information
2022
Abstract
A late career practitioner policy (LCPP) is an age-based approach to screening physicians for physical, cognitive, and other limitations that could impact patient care. What makes LCPPs controversial is that they subject physicians to heightened or more frequent screenings based on arbitrary age thresholds, without specific evidence that their skills have diminished, their acuity has declined, or their performance has deteriorated. Supporters justify LCPPs based on data showing that capabilities decline with age. Aging is natural, they contend, and physicians are not immune to its effects. Critics call LCPPs discriminatory, the embodiment of capricious action that stigmatizes older practitioners by subjecting them to cognitive and physical assessments based on age rather than evidence of impaired functioning. According to these critics, aging may be natural, but its effects are not uniform.
Recommended Citation
Adella Katz and John J. LoCurto, One Age Does Not Fit All: Late Career Practitioner Policies and Managed Care, Health L. Connection, May 2022 at 12.