U.S. Department of Health & Human Services |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, May 17, 2001 |
Contact: | HHS Press Office (202) 690-6343 |
The Department will shortly issue a notice asking for a public comment on a rule that would permit a state's governor, after consultation with the state's Boards of Medicine and Nursing, and consistent with state law, to certify that it is in the best interests of the state's citizens to permit Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to administer anesthesia services without direct physician supervision. Although the federal requirement that CRNAs must work under a physician's supervision would continue to apply generally, the proposed new rule would give states the flexibility to ensure that its citizens receive needed anesthesia services, while also ensuring that such changes can be done safely. We anticipate that this rule will be particularly beneficial to those states with rural or other areas where anesthesiologists are not available. The rule will also propose that the Department undertake a prospective study comparing different state anesthesia practices.
To give the Department an opportunity to consider these refinements to our regulations and gather additional comment, I am today delaying for 180 days the effective date of the January 18 regulation on anesthesia services under Medicare. My goal is to give states flexibility to improve access to anesthesia services, while at the same time ensuring that safety issues have been fully addressed. I look forward to receiving comments and developing a final rule that will serve all Medicare beneficiaries in all regions of the country in the safest and best way possible.
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