Here are five updates and developments shaping the anesthesia industry right now:
1. On Sept. 27, the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology filed a petition with a U.S. district court urging Xavier Beccera, Secretary of Health and Human Services, to enforce the provider nondiscrimination provision of the Affordable Care Act against insurance companies and health plans. The provision was passed in 2010 to prevent payers from discriminating against providers on the basis of licensure. The 2020 No Surprises Act required HHS to enforce those policies within one year, but the AANA contends there is still no enforcement in place.
2. On Sept. 25, the American Society of Anesthesiologists filed a trademark complaint against the recently renamed American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, alleging that its use of the word "anesthesia" is "deceptively misdescriptive."
3. Lawmakers in Tennessee are reviving a bill that would allow certified anesthesiologist assistants to practice in Tennessee, where they currently need state approval. The goal of the bill is to address the ongoing anesthesia provider shortage in the state, and Kelli Ray, a certified anesthesiologist assistant and president of the Tennessee Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants, noted in the report that similar legislation has been passed elsewhere.
4. While anesthesiologists made an average $472,000 in 2023, a 5% increase from the year prior, 66% of anesthesiologists think that physicians as a whole are still underpaid, and 46% do not feel that they are paid fairly given their work demands.
5. The California Department of Public Health sent a letter to hospitals clarifying the scope of practice for certified registered nurse anesthetists on Sept. 6. The letter stated that the use of CRNAs in acute care hospitals must be approved by administration and must be at the discretion of physicians. The letter also said that CRNAs may administer anesthesia medications ordered by physicians and are not authorized to practice medicine.