ASA Celebrates Passage of David Scott Amendment: A Step Toward Preserving Physician-led Anesthesia Care for Veterans

CHICAGO – The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) applauds congressional passage of the amendment by U.S. Rep. David Scott (D-GA-13) that represents an important step in having the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) continue to provide safe, high-quality, physician-led anesthesia care for our nation’s Veterans. 

“We commend Congressman Scott for his leadership and commitment to Veterans in his district and across the nation,” said ASA President Randall M. Clark, M.D., FASA.  “Our nation’s Veterans deserve only the safest and highest-quality care after putting their lives on the line. We applaud the congressman and all who supported the amendment, and urge VA to continue to ensure Veterans receive the team-based anesthesia care supported by the nation’s top hospitals.”

The amendment, which passed with a bipartisan vote of 355-56 in the House of Representatives as part of broader spending legislation, paves the way for Rep. Scott’s Protect Lifesaving Anesthesia Care for Veterans Act, which ASA has previously endorsed.

The bipartisan Protect Lifesaving Anesthesia Care for Veterans Act would retain the team-based model of anesthesia care currently used in VA –– where physician anesthesiologists lead a team of nurse anesthetists to provide care to Veterans. ASA opposes any effort to eliminate highly trained physician anesthesiologists from the surgical teams taking care of Veterans.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 55,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care every patient deserves.

For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about the role physician anesthesiologists play in ensuring patient safety, visit asahq.org/madeforthismoment. Like ASA on Facebook and follow ASALifeline on Twitter.

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