CRNAs Educate Obama on Supervision Rules- www.change.gov

President Elect Barack Obama has a website for Americans to share their ideas. The website is www.change.gov and the postings are made in the Citizen's Briefing Book. Americans can search the site for topics of interest and then use the site to vote on ideas that they like and dislike. I searched 'CRNA' and the following two postings came up. Of course I rated these postings favorably!

Here's what CRNAs are posting on www.change.gov :

Dramatically Reduce Cost of Surgery and Procedures
Unfortunately, when physicians sit in Congress, on Boards of Hospitals, and Boards of Regents, tough economic decisions are not made to benefit patients. When rules are being made under the guise of "what is best for patient outcomes" it is of economic benefit to physicians. For instance, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists existed before anesthesiologists and presently administer 70% of the anesthetics in the United States of America. Presently, the majority of metropolis' function on the "Anesthesia Care Team" model, whereby the CRNA administers the anesthetic to patients, splitting the fee with an MD usually 60%MD and 40%CRNA while the MD is billing for up to four cases simultaneously while supervising one to four CRNA's at a time. Costs could be greatly reduced by allowing CRNA's to solely administer anethetics as trained/educated to do, thereby using the more cost effective practitioner in a safe and entirely legal capacity. It's a shame "rule-makers" make rules to benefit their pocketbooks thus driving up healthcare costs!
2 Comments » Posted by cruzcrna to Health Care on 1/14/2009 5:00 PM


Independent Nurse Anesthetists Can Help Lower Health Care Costs!
President Obama, please pass legislation that will allow Nurse Anesthetists to practice independently. We are the backbone of anesthesia and can be a much more useful, economical part of the Anesthesia Care Team if we are INDEPENDENT of MD Supervision.

I am going to Nurse Anesthesia school now (been an ICU RN 15 years). If you pass legislation allowing Nurse Anesthetists to practice independently, we can safely, effectively deliver anesthetia all over the country at a comparable, yet significantly less expense!! We Future CRNAs want to help our beloved USA and the Health Care Reform in doing our part! We want to practice independent! Thank you!
2 Comments » Posted by NurseAnesthetistsIndependent! to Health Care on 1/13/2009 6:27 PM