Designated
Aviation Medicine Examiner/Designated Aviation Ophthalmologist
DAME
Newsletter
November 2002
DAMEs and DAOs - New and resigned
Acknowledgement
DAMEs/DAOs should confirm receipt of this Newsletter, noting their DAME stamp number, per return email to powell_t@casa.gov.au. Alternatively, please fax confirmation of its receipt to CASA AvMed on (02) 6217 1640.
Distribution
DAMEs/DAOs should read and digest the contents of this Newsletter, retain it for future reference, and make relevant sections of it available to other staff members who have dealings with CASA on behalf of practice principals.
PMO's Column
A proposal unacceptable to CASA…
Readers may be interested in the following exchange, which certainly saved them from being unnecessarily pestered by yet another pharmaceutical manufacturer.
To: WILKINS, PETER
Subject: DAME DatabaseDear Peter,
Our company, Fastlane Consulting, is working with the major pharmacuetical company - Sanofi-Synthelabo which produces the insomnia/jetlag prescription product "Stilnox".The "Stilnox" product is an approved DAME product and has benefits to Pilots over the traditional sleeping tablets (such as Normison). Benefits include the ability to use the product within a shorter timeframe before flying than the traditional sleeping agents.
Our objective is to build awareness of this product, and the benefits to pilots, with DAME's Doctors by providing targeted information to them.
We are aware that the DAME database is available on the CASA web and that we can manually download this data.
However, rather than manually downloading this data, I am requesting that you could provide us with a listing of the DAME's database in a more suitable format such as database/excel/ word.
Your assistance would be very much appreciated,
Regards
Derek Merdith
Fastlane 30 Consulting Pty Limited
From: WILKINS, PETER
To: 'Derek Merdith'
Subject: DAME DatabaseDear Mr Merdith
The on-line CASA DAME list is provided as a service to applicants for aeromedical certification, to facilitate finding an accessible DAME. DAMEs agree to publication of their details on this basis only and I have no intention of making their contacts more readily available to you or any other commercial interest."Stilnox" is NOT 'an approved DAME product' - indeed there is no such animal. CASA provides some guidance to DAMEs through The DAME Handbook on appropriate and inappropriate medications for pilots and air traffic controllers, but therein emphasises the absolute need to assess fully each individual's reaction to each intended medication. Consequently, CASA would view askance any intimation that "Stilnox" (or other product) enjoyed some particular status as "DAME approved".
I trust this clarifies the issues for you.
Yours faithfully
(Dr) Peter S. Wilkins
Director of Aviation Medicine and
Principal Medical Officer
Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia
wilkins_ps@casa.gov.au
To: WILKINS, PETER
Subject: Re: DAME DatabaseDear Peter,
I sincerely apologise for my misunderstanding and will investigate the source of the misunderstanding to correct this.
I appreciate your explanation of the DAME / CASA position.
Furthermore, I will ensure that any form of promotional material, communication or otherwise does not imply or intimate in any way whatsoever that this or any product is "DAME approved".
Sincerely
Derek Merdith
Fastlane 30 Consulting Pty Limited
Administrative Matters
Medical Forms
Please answer all questions and submit forms, with all required documents, in C4 envelopes, as the forms are difficult to scan clearly if they have been folded. Noteworthy recent omissions from forms have included: blood pressure, pulse rate, details of medication(s) taken, and certification of applicant's identity.
Filling out Medical Forms
Please remember to include the nationality of the applicant on the medical form, to check visual acuity and to record blood glucose levels. Discrepancies have appeared recently in year-to-year visual acuity. Please test visual acuity with and without correction.
Stationery Orders
CASA no longer provides stationery which is available from J S McMillan using the order form.
Information Update
Please fill in the attached Information Updates and return to me at the Office of Aviation Medicine by email to powell_t@casa.gov.au or by fax to 02 6217 1640.
Merry Christmas
As this will be the last newsletter before Christmas, all of the staff at the Aviation Medicine Section wish you a Merry Christmas and a satisfying New Year.
Aviation Medicine Section will be stand down from Christmas eve until January 2. As some of the staff will be taking further leave over the Christmas - New Year period, please remind applicants to have their medical examinations conducted and submitted as soon as possible, to allow sufficient time for assessment. Applicants are permitted to have medical examinations up to 28 days before expiry without affecting the start validity date of their medical certificates.
Renewing of DAME appointments
Renewing of DAME and DAO appointments will begin from January 2003. When you are due for renewal you will be asked to submit a formal application for reappointment, together with an undertaking to observe CASA's relevant requirements. Certificates of Appointment will be issued to all DAMEs and DAOs whose appointments have been renewed.
Change to acceptable Blood Pressure levels
Note that, since December 2000, the maximum acceptable diastolic BP reading is 90 mm Hg.
MRS Online - Project Manager's Update
Status and Schedule
Well, we have been acceptance testing the MRS Online application for a few months now, and we believe that we are very close now to a product that we can hand over to you all to test. While I realise that this has been a very drawn out process, you should understand that we are very keen to ensure that the system we provide is robust, reliable and easy to use, and this has been of greater concern to us that keeping strictly to the project schedule. I am confident that the extra effort will be worth the improved result. Note that you will only be able to access the system in Test if you have an i-Key installed on your PC, so it is vital that you attend to that as soon as possible (refer to the next section for further information).
My hope is that we will be able to make the system available to you to test in the next few weeks, with the pilot implementation happening in late December or early in the New Year. We are very aware of the pending Christmas period, and will ensure that we still have a good 3 month trial period and evaluation before any decision is made to withdraw the current manual system and rely entirely on the new system.
Issues with the I-Keys
Over the last couple of months we have become aware that some DAMEs are very uncomfortable about signing the agreement with the Health eSignature Authority in order to obtain the certificate and i-Key necessary to use MRS Online. I understand that in some jurisdictions, the State Department of Health has also indicated that it is unwilling to sign the agreement. This is in response to the indemnity and limitation of liability clauses included in the Certificate Policy and Agreement. In that regard, I note the following:
- the AMA has already provided feedback to HeSA and the HIC regarding this agreement, and I understand that some changes either have been or are planned to be made as a result. Further details would be available from your local AMA Branch
- the liability exclusion and limitation provisions, and the indemnity provisions, are typical of commercial arrangements. Doctors are liable for their own actions and omissions, and must indemnify the others parties to the Agreement for any losses arising out of those actions and omissions. The Commonwealth and the HIC are not liable to any other party to the Agreement, and do not indemnify any other party to the Agreement. The Certifying Authority (CA) and Registration Authority (RA) are liable to other parties to the Agreement for their negligence, to a maximum of $1000 per claim and $5000 in the aggregate. Given that the CA and the RA exclude liability for consequential losses, and the type of certificates issued by the CA are specifically stated to be used only for transactions up to $1000, the limitation of liability of the CA and RA to $1000 for any one claim and $5000 in the aggregate is not surprising.
It should be noted that this Agreement is very similar to other agreements for the use of PKI certificates, and is not unique to HeSA. The security provided by PKI is integral to you being able to meet the requirements of the Privacy legislation, and for us to ensure the integrity of medicals submitted. Therefore, in order to use the MRS Online system, a DAME must obtain a key and certificate from HeSA. Once we have fully implemented the system, you will not be able to conduct an aviation medical without an i-Key. This is currently scheduled for the first half of 2003.
Therefore, if you believe this will be an issue for you, I would appreciate hearing from you as soon as possible.
To apply for a certificate you will need to send HeSA:
- a signed copy of the Gatekeeper Individual Healthcare Agreement
- a completed Identification Reference form, including details of the Acceptable Referee (who can be another medical practitioner)
- copies of identification documents adding up to at least 100 points (so that would be one from the primary identification documents group plus one from Group 1 or Group 2 of the secondary identification documents group OR 2 from Group 3 of the secondary identification documents group listed on the Identification Reference form)
These will be processed, and you will receive an I-key and a PIN separately.
You can download the forms from the HeSA web site (http://www.hesa.com.au/apply.htm#a), or we can email them to you if you prefer. And if you have a Medicare Provider Number there will be no charge associated with applying for the i-Key.
Demonstrations of the new system
This year I attended DAME seminars in Melbourne, Port Macquarie, Adelaide and Perth, to talk about the new system. During 2003, we will continue to include demonstrations of the system and a question session in each of the scheduled DAME seminars. If you have another relevant event that you would like use to present at, please let me know. We will do our best to meet your requests.
Kind regards
Elenore Karpfen
MRS Project
Manager
Greetings from Tara
Welcome to the November 2002 DAME Newsletter. As Elenore Karpfen mentions above, MRS On-line is progressing well, with testing coming soon. I am available to help you learn about and adjust to using the new system so feel free to contact me.
Also please advise me of any change to your email or postal address to powell_t@casa.gov.au.
DAMEs and DAOs - new and resigned
Dr David Ruddiman died recently. Dr David Cox and Dr Anne Cecilia Nordenstedt, of Sweden, have retired. Dr Paul Munchenberg of North Adelaide, South Australia, will resign from December 20, 2002 after working with CASA as a DAME since 1976. CASA acknowledges their contributions over many years, with Dr Cox first appointed in 1968.
Dr John Lockwood of Toowoomba, QLD, has retired after 36 years as a DAME and 39 years in General Practice. We thank him for his efforts working with CASA.
Dr William Hutchinson of Dalkeith, Western Australia, has been appointed as a Medical Examiner for the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand.
Dr Richard Heah has been appointed as a DAME in Salisbury, South Australia.
Dr Colin Sheppard has been appointed as a DAO in Essendon, Victoria.
Dr Max Bowater has been appointed as a DAME in Yokine, Western Australia.
Dr David Edward Baldwin of Haast, New Zealand, has been appointed as a DAME.
Dr Mervyn Phillip Yantsch has moved from Taroom, Queensland, to Inverell, NSW.
DAME and DAO Applications
There is a shortage of DAMEs and DAOs in several parts of Australia. If you know of a doctor or ophthalmologist who is interested in performing aviation medical examinations, please refer any such practitioners to CASA Av Med on (02) 6217 1642 or powell_t@casa.gov.au.