Alaska Removes Physician Supervision Requirement for Nurse Anesthetists

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

From ANA News:

11/24/03

Alaska has become the tenth state in less than two years, and the third state in the last three weeks, to opt out of a federal physician supervision requirement for nurse anesthetists, according to a report in AONE e-News Update, published by the American Organization of Nurse Executives.

Last month, North Dakota and Washington became the eighth and ninth states, respectively, to take this course of action. Other states that have opted out are Iowa, Nebraska, Idaho, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Kansas.

The anesthesia care rule that enables states to opt out of the supervision requirement was published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the Federal Register on Nov. 13, 2001.

http://nursingworld.org/news/ananews.htm#ak

[loisane]

I have noticed how our professional tone has taken on a little more "attitude" on the opt out issue lately. Now that we have ten states opted out, and the process has been in place for about two years, it is as if it might be time to make some PR/political hay.

Something like--------"If opting out is so dangerous, we should start seeing the scary, horrible consequences by about now. The bodies should be stacking up. So where are they. Oh, so there hasn't been any untoward effects? Imagine that. Could it be that those nurse anesthetists were right all along?"

In this case, the absence of bad outcomes is significant. As this ball keeps rolling, nurse anesthesia gets stronger.

These opt outs are important. Thanks for posting the latest.

loisane crna

[Qwiigley, BSN, MSN, DNP, RN, CRNA]

Now is the time for all of us to get off our hind-ends and become active politically. Write to your senators and state reps (sorry to say, ours s#ck in California), but still make hay, people! The sqeeky wheel gets the attn! Most reps do not even know that this is a big deal. They think the MDs are always right, and little ol nurses don't know anything!

Support your local ANA, each state organization has a PAC (Political Action Committee) Get on their email list. Ask them what you can do to help. Send a couple of dollars, anything helps and it alllllll costs money.

Just my .02 cents!

Qwiigs