Tennessee Pain Management Bill Neglects Underserved Areas, CRNA Says

A Tennessee bill that would restrict nurse anesthetists' ability to provide pain management services is unnecessarily costly and harmful for patients in underserved areas, according to a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

In an editorial in The Tennessean, CRNA Mark Haffey says that the bill "would actually prevent many Tennesseans from having access to safe, cost-effective pain management services provided by qualified health-care professionals, namely certified registered nurse anesthetists. How? By requiring a limited group of physicians to provide on-site supervision of pain-management services, a burdensome, expensive and unmanageable restriction that could shut down pain management services in many facilities across the state."

Access to pain management services under the proposed bill would be particularly limited for elderly patients and those who live in rural, low-income or medically underserved areas, says Mr. Haffey, who chairs the public relations committee for the Tennessee Association of Nurse Anesthetists.


Related Articles on Pain Management:

New Radiofrequency Ablation Procedure Performed in Texas
App Lets Physicians, Hernia Patients Assess Chronic Pain
5 Pain Management Physicians Discuss Promising New Pain Therapy Procedures

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Featured Webinars

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Podcast