CRYSTAL CITY, Va. -- Help is on the way for motorcoach company owners and managers who worry about the validity of their drivers medical examinations.

A plan to create a registry for medical professionals authorized to perform the required physicals on drivers could be in place in 18 to 24 months, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Charles Horan, director of bus and truck standards for the agency, said once the measure is approved, only specially trained and tested medical doctors, osteopathic doctors, chiropractic doctors, physician assistants and nurse practioners will be permitted to give the physicals.

"It will eliminate doctor shopping and I put a lot of emphasis on that," he told an audience of motorcoach industry representatives attending a Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance bus safety seminar here last month.

Operators for years have worried about the quality of the examinations their drivers get when they have physicals that are required of them to retain their medical certificates.

While some large motorcoach companies contract with physicians to manage their medical programs, others rely on nearby, independent doctors to perform physicals.

Some companies, however, still allow their drivers to get physicals from their family physicians or other doctors - a practice safety experts say is ripe for abuse and doctor shopping.

Medical experts who spoke at the seminar said motorcoach operators can take steps to protect themselves until the medical registry is developed by requiring their job applicants and veteran employees to have their physicals done only by companyretained doctors and then paying close attention to the results of the examinations.

Operators never should allow their employees to choose the examining doctors, they stressed.

Dr. Jeff Liva, a physician who serves as the medical director for several large carriers, said operators should retain their own doctors and make sure they are up to the task by quizzing them on the medical examination form.

"If theyre not quite sure, then you need to look for someone else," he said.

He said a major problem with doctors untrained in conducting medical exams of motorcoach drivers is they often ignore or miss signs of possible medical problems, either those they might find during an exam or those noted on the medical form filled out by the driver.

"I see yes checked off all too often on an exam form and then nothing written in after that by either the driver or the doctor," he said. "The doctor always must address it and not just blow it off."

Liva emphasized, too, that doctors should routinely question drivers about over-the-counter drugs they might be taking because many of the drugs can interfere with driving as much as prescription drugs.

"There could be side affects to the over-the-counter medication so the doctor must not only ask about the drugs, but also find out why the driver is taking them in the first place," he added.

To help verify the examination, he recommended that operators obtain a signed medical release from all drivers so a copy of their examination can be obtained from the doctor for a thorough review.

Dennis Russell of Coach America and a long-time transportation safety director, emphasized that operators also should watch for possible medical problems that a driver might be developing while on the job, such as blurry eyes and fatigue.

"When in doubt, send them for a physical," he said.

And to make sure their drivers are staying healthy and safe, he suggested that drivers be given a physical at least once a year rather than every two years as is required by the U.S. Department of Transportation.