Straight Facts About Anesthesia Providers and Your Safety
Some politicians and bureaucrats want to change the face of health care in the United States by replacing physicians with nurses. They claim it will “cut costs” and “increase access,” but no objective analysis supports such claims. Multiple polls conclude that citizens want a physician involved in their anesthesia care, but the government is ignoring those interests. Allowing nurses to administer anesthesia without supervision may put you and your family at risk. Here are the facts you need to know about opt out measures and changes that may affect you.
Anesthesia care is about patient safety.
It’s true. Physician anesthesiologists have significantly improved anesthesia safety and delivery for the benefit of their patients. They have designed safer anesthesiology medicines, monitoring devices and methods in efforts to decrease preventable mishaps. However, it’s the advanced skill and experience learned during eight or more years of medical training that enables the anesthesiologist or supervising physician to identify, diagnose and prevent anesthesia complications. These actions could save a patient’s life.
What does “Opt Out” mean?
Federal rules require that a physician supervise the administration of anesthesia. This long-standing federal requirement has successfully protected patients for 45 years and provided access to the highest standard of medical care available.
Some states are choosing to “opt out” of this requirement on the basis that it will “cut-costs” and “expand access” of healthcare services to rural areas. In opt out states, nurse anesthetists can administer anesthesia for any type of medical procedure – including major surgeries like open heart surgery and lung transplants in any medical facility (rural or urban) – without a physician’s supervision.
How many states currently opt out?
Sixteen states have opted out, to date.
Do nurses and physicians receive the same amount of anesthesia training?
No. Anesthesiologists are physicians who have received a medical education including at least eight years of post-college education and training. Nurse anesthetists have nursing education including two to three years of post-college education. Nurse anesthetists are competent to perform the technical aspects of the administration of anesthesia, but do not have the education, skills or training to fully manage patients, respond to medical complications, or advance the science of anesthesiology.
As the population ages, more and more complex medical conditions will require highly educated and skilled anesthesiologist’s.
Does opting out cut healthcare costs?
No. Medicare and many private payers pay anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists at the same rate, therefore no cost savings to taxpayers occurs.
This means that for identical cases a nurse who administers anesthesia receives the same payment under Medicare (and many private payers) as an anesthesiologist who provides the anesthesia.
Is it less costly to employ nurses than employing doctors?
No. Some have argued that nurse anesthetists make less money, and therefore cost the health care system less. Nurse anesthetists are the highest paid nurses in their profession. According to the Merritt Hawkins and Associates salary report, nurse anesthetists’ salaries have increased 85 percent to $189,000 since 1999.
Will opting out expand access in rural states?
No. Opting out will not improve access to anesthesia care. Patients in rural hospitals have had access to appropriate anesthesia care since 1965.
Instead, opting out replaces physicians with nurses in the rural setting and creates two standards of care. Patients in urban and rural areas should receive the same quality of anesthesia care. Federal law requires physician supervision of nurse anesthetists during the administration of anesthesia. In the absence of an anesthesiologist, the operating practitioner is present to supervise the nurse anesthetist.
Anesthesiology care remains a life-or-death matter.
Physicians involved in anesthesiology have improved its safety and delivery for the benefit of their patients. They have designed safer anesthesiology medicines, devices and methods in efforts to decrease preventable mishaps. A physician applies advanced medical knowledge to diagnosing and preventing factors that contribute to complications of patients receiving anesthesia.
