Rosemont, Ill. (AANA)— Angela Mund, DNP, CRNA, president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) issued the following statement in response to the introduction of legislation that would restrict access to quality healthcare for our nation’s veterans:
The AANA strongly opposes H.R. 3347 the “Protect Lifesaving Anesthesia Care for Veterans Act”, an anti-nurse bill that seeks to put turf protection for medical specialties ahead of veterans’ care. The bill, introduced by Rep David Scott (D-GA) plays directly upon recent unfounded scare tactics by the American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) claiming that the Veterans Administration (VA) is planning to remove physician anesthesiologists from the VA and replace them with nurse anesthesiologists. The AANA seeks to ensure access to care for our veterans by allowing all anesthesia providers to practice to the top of their license in providing direct patient care. Freeing up anesthesiologists from arbitrary and redundant supervision requirements will allow them to be in the operating room treating our veterans.
We are disheartened that the Congressman continues to introduce this misguided legislation, especially when his own issues statement calls for VA to “eliminate arbitrary administrative restrictions that prevent veterans from receiving the care they deserve.” Both pre-pandemic data and COVID experiences have shown that there is no need for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to be supervised in any healthcare setting.
For years, the ASA and its allies have sought to discredit CRNAs and the high-quality care they provide to patients across the country, including veterans. Time and time again the evidence, published in peer-reviewed medical journals shows the same thing, CRNAs practicing autonomously are just as safe as their physician colleagues. CRNAs have the ability to practice autonomously in the Army, Navy, and Air Force, yet the ASA seeks to restrict practice only in the VA. As a veteran and a CRNA who was educated and worked at the VA, I know firsthand the high-quality care that CRNAs provide to our veterans. It’s disappointing to see this bill attacking CRNAs without basis in fact or supported by scientific evidence. Our veterans deserve better than this.”
AANA supports basing National Standards of Practice in the VA on clinical and scientific evidence that puts patients first, not profits or provider turf wars. Allowing CRNAs and other APRNs to work to the full extent of their education and training is supported by numerous independent groups across the political spectrum, from the American Enterprise Institute to the Bipartisan Policy Center to the Brookings Institute as well as both the Bipartisan Commission on Care report and the VA’s own Independent Assessment. Even VA acknowledged the ability of CRNAs to safely work autonomously and acknowledged the significant scientific and clinical evidence that supports CRNA autonomous practice.
AANA Vice President Jan Setnor, MSN, CRNA, Col (ret.) USAFR NC notes, “As a practicing CRNA, I am frustrated my profession is required to repeatedly prove its worth for political reasons, including anesthesiologists’ fabricated and feigned fear of being shut out of the VA. , This false flag of victimhood is one of their own making, designed to create the impression that CRNAs are attempting to supplant anesthesiologists in the VA. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The AANA strongly urges Congress not to support this misguided effort and instead, support veterans’ access to healthcare by following the clinical and scientific evidence. Our veterans deserve better than scare tactics and turf wars, which is all that H.R. 3347 has to offer.
Contact your U.S. Representative today to them know that this legislation is harmful to our veterans and that you, as a constituent, strongly oppose it.