Anti-Anesthesiologist Lawmaker Includes AANA Provision in Rural Health Bill

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has identified that the “Save America’s Rural Hospitals Act,” or H.R. 833, authored by Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO-06) includes an AANA provision intended to dismantle Medicare’s requirement for physician supervision of nurse anesthetists. Rep. Graves has a long record of opposing safe physician-led models of anesthesia care and supporting nurse-only models.  ASA has engaged with the legislative sponsors to express opposition to the provisions and will work to ensure that the AANA’s language in the legislation does not advance this Congress.
 
ASA has been a long-time supporter of efforts to improve rural access to care, including supporting the Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act, which would reform the Medicare rural pass-through program to allow rural hospitals to employ or contract with all types of anesthesia providers – physician anesthesiologists, as well as anesthesiologist assistants and nurse anesthetists.  This bill has not yet been introduced in the 118th Congress.