By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Organizations Slowly Considering Greater Scrutiny of Aging Physicians’ Practice
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Organizations Slowly Considering Greater Scrutiny of Aging Physicians’ Practice
Policy & Law

Organizations Slowly Considering Greater Scrutiny of Aging Physicians’ Practice

MichaelDouglas1
MichaelDouglas1
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

Would you attend a 101-year old physician? Should there be a mandatory retirement age for physicians? While that question itself is a little ridiculous, there really has never been careful consideration of the issue. Many, if not most physicians go through their careers sincerely passionate about their work — all the while building the foundation for a very lucrative, happy, and hard-earned retirement. As a physician, I have always shared this scenario as a reasonable goal.

Would you attend a 101-year old physician? Should there be a mandatory retirement age for physicians? While that question itself is a little ridiculous, there really has never been careful consideration of the issue. Many, if not most physicians go through their careers sincerely passionate about their work — all the while building the foundation for a very lucrative, happy, and hard-earned retirement. As a physician, I have always shared this scenario as a reasonable goal. As much as I love what I do, I know that someday I’ll have to “hang up the stethoscope” because I feel that a rewarding life as a public servant leads to a rewarding life in retirement. I accept that, and I look forward to it.

Some physicians find that hard to swallow, and their appreciation for their craft — taken so many years to create and nurture — continues to grow. Why give that up?

Rheumatologist Ephraim Engleman, who will turn 102 in March, said he plans to never quit. One of the nation’s oldest practicing physicians, Engleman drives from his San Mateo home to the sprawling medical campus of the University of California at San Francisco three days a week. There he sees about eight longtime patients per week and spends most of his time directing the Rosalind Russell Medical Research Center for Arthritis, an administrative post he has held since it was created in 1979.

Granted, this physician’s situation is rather rare, but some organizations are looking at other ways scrutinizing elder physicians’ abilities outside of the obvious licensure maintenance requirements. While keeping an active license implies compliance in knowledge among physicians, there is a lack of data that addresses periodic evaluation of cognitive abilities outside of testing medical knowledge. An increasing number of public and private health systems are implementing programs to address this issue — often comparing patient safety under a physician’s care to that of passengers’ safety in airline travel. Perhaps the days of allowing the “kindly old doctor” to continue to practice out of a sense of fealty and obligation within an organization are on the wane. If an increasing number of physicians are in it for the long haul, for whatever reason, healthcare organizations are now beginning to realize that the obligation should be directed toward patient safety and well being.

More Read

gather evidence on the effectiveness of new drugs
Drug Companies Need Evidence Generation Strategies
Best Practices for Physician Alignment
Hospital Training Using Virtual World and Avatars
J and J DePuy Hip Recall Methodologies Touching on Patient Privacy
One Week Into the Heart of the ACA
 
TAGGED:Physicians
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Traumatic Brain Injuries
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injuries: What Families Need to Know
Policy & Law
October 10, 2025
Remote Monitoring touchpoints
Remote Monitoring Touchpoints Patients Will Actually Follow
Technology
October 9, 2025
dental care
Importance of Good Dental Care for Health and Confidence
Dental health Specialties
October 2, 2025
AI in Healthcare
AI in Healthcare: Technology is Transforming the Global Landscape
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
October 1, 2025

You Might also Like

CVS stops selling cigarettes
BusinessGlobal HealthcareNewsPublic HealthWellness

CVS Kicks the Habit, with Implications for Consumer-Centered Healthcare

February 12, 2014
medicines from nature
Global Healthcare

What is the Process of Creating Medicine from Nature?

May 2, 2023
Healthcare Innovations in Personal Injury Law: Improving Patient Recovery and Legal Outcomes
Health care

The Role of Healthcare Innovations in Personal Injury Law: Improving Patient Recovery and Legal Outcomes

December 5, 2024
marketing legal issues
eHealthPolicy & Law

What Happens When Doctors Sue Unhappy Patients? It’s Not Pretty

October 4, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?