Anesthesiologist Assistants

What You Should Know

• CAAs are highly trained graduate level non-physician anesthesia care professionals. They are trained extensively in the delivery and maintenance of quality anesthesia care as well as advanced patient monitoring techniques. 
• To date, CAAs may practice in 22 jurisdictions: Alabama, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kansas (delegatory authority), Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan (delegatory authority), Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania (delegatory authority), South Carolina, Texas (delegatory authority), Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. 
• CAAs and nurse anesthetists are both non-physician members of the Anesthesia Care Team (ACT). It is the position of ASA that both CAAs and nurse anesthetists share identical patient care responsibilities - a view in harmony with their equivalent treatment by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).   

What ASA is Doing For You

• ASA strongly believes in the Anesthesia Care Team and supports CAA practice authorization in all states.
• In 2024, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, in partnership with the Washington State Society of Anesthesiologists, secured enactment of a new law in Washington state to license CAAs.
• In 2023, the American Society of Anesthesiologists won enactment of laws expanding CAA practice opportunities in partnership with two state components – Nevada (CAA licensure) and New Mexico (geographic and supervision ratio expansion).

What You Can Do Now

Resources and actions you can take today

• ASA Statement on the Anesthesia Care Team  
• Statement on Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAAs): Description and Practice 
• Statement Comparing Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Education and Practice (2022) 
• Federal Law 42 CFR 482.52 - Condition of participation: Anesthesia services 
• Federal Law 42 CFR 415.110 - Conditions for payment: Medically directed anesthesia services
• Federal Law: § 410.69 Services of a certified registered nurse anesthetist or an anesthesiologist's assistant: Basic rule and definitions
• Article: Anesthesia Care Team Composition and Surgical Outcomes 
• A Year in Review - Educational Programs for Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants (2018 Monitor article) 
• American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants  

This page is curated by Amada Cate, Associate Director of Governmental and Political Outreach, and was last updated November 2024.