Re: GEN -unsupervised CRNA'S
From: art fougner, md (evsono@pipeline.com)
Tue Mar 28 06:48:28 2000
realizing this is politically incorrect, why does the phrase "physician
extender" remind me of "Hamburger Helper?"
Art
At Mon, 27 Mar 2000, Efrain Ramirez wrote:
>
>The courts will eventually decide--bucks will talk. As soon a
>multimillion dollar lawsuit is awarded to a patient AND if the
>anesthesits will have to deliver the money---it's all over.
>
>At Mon, 27 Mar 2000, art fougner, md wrote:
>>
>>Just curious as to the group's take on this latest cost-saving measure
>>by our friends at HCFA -
>>
>>HCFA to OK unsupervised nurse anesthetists, but controversy continues
>>
>>By Karen Pallarito
>>
>>WESTPORT, Mar 27 (Reuters Health) - A proposed rule allowing nurse
>>anesthetists to administer anesthesia to Medicare patients without
>>physician supervision is now expected to become final this June.
>>
>>Nancy-Ann Min DeParle, administrator of the Health Care Financing
>>Administration, recently confirmed in a letter to Sen. Arlen Specter
>>(R-Pennsylvania), that the administration intends to finalize the
>>regulation by June.
>>
>>But more than two years after HCFA first proposed scrapping the
>>supervision requirement, anesthesiologists remain up in arms over the
>>looming change.
>>
>>Spearheading opposition to the rule is the American Society of
>>Anesthesiologists (ASA), which last week urged Congress once again to
>>intervene in the matter. The ANA cites University of Pennsylvania
>>research showing a higher death rate in cases in which an
>>anesthesiologist was not involved in supervising the nurse anesthetist.
>>
>>"It is obvious now that all concern for patient safety has been lost to
>>bureaucracy," contends Dr. Ronald A. MacKensie, president of the
>>35,000-member ANA. "HCFA is saying that it has made this proposal based
>>on reasoning that anesthesia is 'relatively safe' now and that there is
>>no evidence to compare the differences between anesthesiologists' care
>>and nurses' care. That reasoning is dangerously flawed."
>>
>>As Reuters Health has reported, HCFA's December 1997 proposal called for
>>deleting the requirement that certified registered nurse anesthetists
>>administer anesthesia only under the supervision of an operating
>>practitioner or anesthesiologist. The change, HCFA said, would "allow
>>greater flexibility to hospitals and practitioners" and "give deference
>>to state scope of practice law."
>>
>>Twenty-nine states now allow nurse anesthetists to provide anesthesia
>>without a doctor's supervision.
>>
>>The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, a chief proponent of the
>>change, last week reiterated its support. "HCFA's decision supports
>>what the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists has been saying all
>>along--that CRNAs provide safe, high-quality anesthesia care," according
>>to AANA President Jan Stewart.
>>
>>In an interview with Reuters Health, Stewart questioned the
>>applicability of the study cited by the anesthesiologists as evidence of
>>poorer outcomes and said that she believes the real issue is one of
>>"control."
>>
>>-Westport Newsroom 203 319 2700
>>
>>Art
>>
>>--
>>art fougner, md
>>
>>A series of 1000 cases begins with but a single anecdote.
>>
>--
>"The things you learn after you know everything are the important ones"
>
--
art fougner, md
A series of 1000 cases begins with but a single anecdote.
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