Doctor shares expertise on pilot mental health screening

Amidst the flurry of information flying around about Andreas Lubitz, the Germanwings co-pilot who reportedly had a history of mental health issues, Dr. Jacqueline Brunetti called in to give her expert advice on screenings for pilots in the US.

As more reports about the compromised mental state of Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz continue to pour in, American travelers are growing concerned with the standards for pilots here in the US. What's the likelihood that a similar situation could occur here? Does the HIPAA law prevent airlines from being aware of potential safety issues concerning travelers?

Dr. Jacqueline Brunetti, certified Aviation Medical Examiner at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, called in to give her expert opinion on all of these topics and even offered a few statistics to ease the minds of concerned travelers across America.

The first question that Dennis and Judi posed to Dr. Brunetti regarded the privacy of a potential pilot as he or she goes through the screening process. Since HIPAA is so stringent, is an examiner allowed to release sensitive information if certain mental health issues could endanger someone's life? Dr. Brunetti stated that although HIPAA is strict, there is a "provision in the HIPAA law to report without consent." She said that with this provision "there is the ability to report to the appropriate agency if there is an issue of greater injury that may happen as a result of something that's picked up in an exam."

As for a similar situation occurring here in the US, Dr. Brunetti advised travelers not to worry too much. "There are 30 million departures a year, so this is the outlier," Dr. Brunetti said.

Check out the video above for the entire interview with Dr. Brunetti.