I know this isnt the forum for mental health issues, but was wondering if anyone could share or explain their experience with the costs? Out of the two HIMS AME (FAA doctors) in my area(meaning less than 75 miles away from me), one of them said he only sees individuals who are already pilots and they develop mental health issues AFTER becoming a pilot, so he cant/wont see me. The other HIMS AME, says he is more than happy to see me, but he will charge $550 an hour(and each visit is a few hours) + $1000 for every form( and there are multiple) he will fill out and approve and send to the FAA. He said the total experience of seeing him front to back, beginning to end, all forms and exams should cost me minimum $6500-7000. Is this how much you guys were also charged? Keep in mind, I need a special class one medical due to my current depression and anxiety conditions. This is a rather large amount of money, is this reasonable? Please let me know.
Very doubtful you’ll find anyone on here that has gone through this. I’ll do my best to answer since I am somewhat familiar with this. Although, my situation is different.
I’m about to share some personal information with you. This is nothing the FAA doesn’t already know. My experiences are my experiences. The FAA looks at these situations on a case by case basis. I can’t make any guarantees, but I hope this helps you decide what to do.
I had situational depression when my dad passed in 2012. I sought counseling and was prescribed fluoxetine. When I applied for my medical I had been off all meds for three months and was found to be stable by my prescribing physician, a Board Certified Psychiatrist and a Neuropsychologist. My Cogscreen results were normal too. After seeing all of these doctors, I paid my HIMS AME the standard rate to review my results and submit the application along with test results for further review. I would have accepted a few hundred dollars more for his services, but nothing remotely close to that amount.
I’ll be honest, $5-$7k sounds outrageously high considering my experience with this, but it may be because your situation is different. See I had all of my paperwork in order before I showed up to my HIMS appointment. I followed the instructions from the FAA exactly and my HIMS AME asked me some questions and then he faxed all of my paperwork to the FAA. If there was extra paperwork my HIMS AME had to fill out I wasn’t charged for that.
If your HIMS AME is claiming that he’ll be filling out forms for $1k/form, that’s the equivalent of 7-8 standard 1st Class Medical exams. Hard to believe that this doctor is really spending 7-8 exams worth of his time to fill out a form. At the end of the day though, he gets to set his rates. If you can’t afford it you can’t afford it.
Remember, applicants with metal health history are dealt with on a case by case basis. I’m not a doctor. I merely wanted to provide you with as much background as I could to help you decide what to do with your own situation.
First and foremost, thank you for the heartfelt reply, My intention was NOT to force you to relieve traumatic experiences, I am so sorry. Second, when I asked the doctor if it was my “specific case” that was making the price very expensive, he said that the price would be the same if any “future pilot” came to him for any reason since he was a HIMS AME professional, and his first class medical was “worth much more” than the average first class medical done for the “average person” who didn’t have any outstanding concerns that would raise issues with the FAA. He also said his clients needed him much more than he needed them, since he could get his “rates matched and 100% paid for” from anyone, and people like me with mental issues cant get their medical from anyone. He also said he had the right to charge whatever it is he wanted and He is right, even though he could have been much nicer about it. Maybe the cost/rates have gone up, like everything else has in the past few years? Even if I had a slight issue, such as not being able to hear 35 dB, I would still have to pay that amount. Either way, I am very upset over this, my dreams of being a pilot have been almost crushed, I have no clue what to do next. Once again, I am so sorry for your loss, and I appreciate your input.
Thank you, Franciso. I appreciate the empathy. I feel more than comfortable to share.
More to your reply, it sounds like this HIMS AME knows he’s over-charging and isn’t afraid to admit it. What if you expanded your search radius for another HIMS AME? See what others are charging. If you find an AME that is reasonable and willing to help you, it would be worth the drive or flight, especially if you end up getting approved. Once the FAA issues a 1st Class Medical, each renewal can be received from a regular AME since all of your medical history will have been previously reported. I’ve received my renewals directly from my AME since 2014, $130/exam.