AANA Statement on False Claims on Safety of CRNA Anesthesia Care

Rosemont, Ill.  (AANA)—The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) issued the following statement regarding the quality and safety of anesthesia care:

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), also known as nurse anesthesiologists or nurse anesthetists, safely administer more than 50 million anesthetics to patients each year in the United States.

Because of this stellar safety record, AANA was dismayed to see erroneous reports by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) based off a Medicare surveyor report that is pending investigation. Not only does the ASA statement ignore decades of research and practical experience, but the continual sharing of misinformation and fearmongering by our physician anesthesia colleagues is dangerous and does nothing to improve patient care.

AANA and the nurse anesthesiology profession call on our physician anesthesiologist colleagues to end these tactics that put patients at risk of hospital closures and surgery backlogs. CRNAs, just like physician anesthesiologists, are autonomous practitioners and both should be at the head of the surgical table ensuring quality anesthesia care. With all qualified anesthesia providers serving patient needs, we can reduce surgery wait times and improve access to care for all.

Recently, a California Medicare surveyor’s misinformation caused the cancellation of nearly 1,000 surgeries, creating havoc for both the facilities and impacted patients. The impact of politics on patients’ access to necessary surgeries is intolerable and must stop.

The AANA stands with the California Association of Nurse Anesthesiology in calling for an immediate investigation into the nature of these surveys and statements made by the surveyor. Hospital closures based on fearmongering and politics rather than peer-reviewed research and adherence to state law is unacceptable.

Numerous peer-reviewed studies have shown that CRNAs are safe, high-quality, and cost-effective anesthesia professionals who should practice to the full extent of their education and abilities. Time and time again, research shows that no measurable impact in anesthesia complications occurred when comparing cases of CRNAs working autonomously and those in more restrictive practice settings.

The importance of CRNAs in the delivery of care is recognized by 25 states that through governor action, opted out of Medicare physician supervision requirements for facilities to allow CRNAs to provide anesthesia services without physician oversight. Any attempt to denigrate or disregard the education and training CRNAs undergo to provide such vital patient care not only defies state laws and governors’ actions but also ignores a wealth of research validating the safety and efficacy of CRNA practice.