PILOT INFORMATION – CURRENT, DETAILED CLINICAL PROGRESS NOTE
(Updated 11/30/2022)
To make a determination on your FAA Medical Certificate, the FAA requires a current, detailed
Clinical Progress Note generated from a clinic visit with your treating physician or specialist
no more than 90 days prior to your AME exam*. If you ask your physician's office for a copy of
your progress note, they may direct you to your patient portal to print out “notes” or an “After Visit
Summary (AVS).” Patient Portal notes or an AVS that do not meet the criteria listed below for a
current, detailed Clinical Progress Note are NOT sufficient for FAA purposes. Submitting incorrect
or incomplete information will delay your medical certification review. To help avoid this, please
review the information provided below.
Here is how to tell the difference between patient portal notes or AVS vs a current, detailed
Clinical Progress Note:
Patient Portal or After Visit Summary (AVS)
Current, Detailed Clinical Progress
Note
Ready immediately after the visit.
May take some time (days) for the
physician to review and sign.
Accessible on your patient portal.
May be accessible in your patient portal,
however, this depends on your physician’s
Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system.
Title = “After Visit Summary”
Title = "Progress Notes" or "View notes"
Page Contents:
• Blood pressure, weight, pulse;
• Instructions (“pick up medications, return in 6
months,” etc.);
• Reason for visit, list of medications given, or
tests ordered; and
• Medication allergies, immunization history, etc.
Page Contents:
• Blood pressure, weight, pulse;
• Instructions (“pick up medications, return
in 6 months,” etc.);
• Reason for visit, list of medications
given, or tests ordered;
• Medication allergies, immunization
history, etc.;
Plus:
• Review of body systems;
• Physical exam findings
(Ex. constitutional, cardiovascular, skin,
etc.);
• List of all current medications, dosages
side effects (if any);
• Assessment and Plan (prognosis); and
• ICD-10 codes
You do not need to sign a release to obtain.
You may have to sign a release with your
physician's office to get a copy (printed or
released to you in your EMR).
Review the FAA terms on the following page. You may want to share this with your
treating physician.
FAA TERMS
WHEN YOU SEE THIS:
IT MEANS:
CURRENT
Performed no more than 90 days before your AME exam*
Example: You see your AME on June 1.
To be “current,” the detailed Clinical Progress Note should be from
an evaluation in which you saw your treating physician in clinic
between March 1 and June 1 (90 days).
(*FAA ATCS clearance exams correlate with birth month, so the
treating physician evaluation should be within 90 days of birth
month.)
DETAILED
Must include the following items:**
• A summary of the history of the condition,
• Current medications, dosages, and side effects (if any);
• Clinical exam findings;
• Results of any testing performed;
• Diagnosis;
• Assessment and Plan (prognosis); and
• Follow-up
Example: A letter stating, “Mr. Smith is ok to fly” (or any other
simple note), is NOT a current, detailed Clinical Progress Note and
is NOT acceptable.
(**This information is standard in most clinical progress notes. [E.g.,
Medicare standards])
CLINICAL
Describes findings from an actual clinical encounter (usually in
office).
PROGRESS NOTE
You may also see this
called a “current status
report” or “status report”
in current FAA Guidance.
Any reference to a “status
report” equals the criteria
listed on this sheet.
This is part of the actual medical record that details events of your
office or hospital visit.
Physicians and other providers understand this term. It may be
called a SOAP note or patient note. It has specific components (see
“Detailed” above).
A patient “after visit summary” or “patient summary” are NOT
sufficient for FAA purposes. To see if your note meets FAA
requirements, see the previous page for a comparison between
“patient portal or after visit summary” vs. current, detailed Clinical
Progress Note.
“IT MUST
SPECIFICALLY
INCLUDE”
If this language is in your letter, it is to highlight SPECIFIC items
(that may or may not be part of a standard current, detailed Clinical
Progress Note). Make sure your physician addresses these
specific items.
