FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2001
CONTACT:
Hope
Hall, 202-651-7027
Cindy Price, 202-651-7038
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www.nursingworld.org/rnrealnews
ANA Applauds HCFA's Ruling to Lift Federal Supervision Requirements for Nurse Anesthetists
Washington, DC -- The American Nurses Association (ANA) applauds the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA) new ruling which removes the federal requirement that nurse anesthetists be supervised by physicians when caring for Medicare patients. The decision has now been deferred to the states, allowing each state to establish their own professional licensure and scope and practice laws.
ANA has actively supported the release of the rule and has made concentrated efforts over the years to lobby against a federal requirement of physician supervision. At times, ANA's lobbying efforts have been intense, facilitating several grassroots initiatives including letter writing campaigns and letters of support from ANA President Mary Foley, MS, RN. Foley also made a personal appeal to White House officials for the release of the rule.
With 29 states currently allowing nurse anesthetists to practice without the supervision of a physician, this ruling opens up the doors to hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers nationwide to receive reimbursements from Medicare without requiring surgeon or physician supervision of this nursing practice speciality.
Medically underserved areas, especially in rural and inner-city hospitals, will reap the benefits because Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are often the sole anesthesia providers. Additionally, the removal of the federal supervision requirement means seniors will now be cared for under the same rules and regulations that apply to all other anesthesia patients in their particular state.
"Through the use of resources and persistent lobbying with the nurse anesthetists, this collaboration proved to be extremely effective and produced a positive outcome for all of nursing." proclaimed Foley. "With the federal supervision requirement removed, CRNAs can now provide the services they have being rendering for years to hundreds of thousands of patients in underserved areas without undue restraints. Now CRNAs can truly work within their scope-of-practice without the federal barriers preventing them from providing care."
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The American Nurses Association is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.6 million Registered Nurses through its 54 constituent associations. ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.
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