Hospitals are increasingly requiring cognitive assessments for older clinicians, prompting debate over patient safety, due process and academic freedom among medical faculty. Some institutions now mandate evaluations as part of privileging, while others resist on legal and professional‑ethics grounds. The policy push stems from concern about age‑related decline affecting clinical performance; proponents say targeted testing protects patients, while critics warn mandatory programs may be discriminatory and could hasten faculty attrition in teaching hospitals. Medical schools, residency programs and hospital credentialing committees must coordinate standards for assessment, remediation and re‑credentialing to balance clinician dignity with clinical safety.