Wolf Administration Supports Professional Designation for CRNAs

Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kurt Knaus, P: 717-724-2866

E: kurt@ceislermedia.com

Wolf Administration Supports Professional Designation for CRNAs

Pa. is one of just two states that fails to recognize nurse anesthetists in some form

HARRISBURG (April 29, 2021) --- The administration of Gov. Tom Wolf this week announced that it fully supports professional designation for certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) in Pennsylvania.

The Department of State endorsed the plan in an April 28 letter to the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA), which represents more than 3,700 CRNAs and students in the commonwealth. The department, which is responsible for professional licensing, spent more than a year reviewing the proposal as part of its Sunrise Evaluation Report examining the state’s occupational practices.

“This is an important milestone in our ongoing efforts to finally give CRNAs the recognition they deserve,” PANA President Matt McCoy said.

Pennsylvania is one of just two states that fails to formally recognize CRNAs in some form. Because there is no definition for “certified registered nurse anesthetist” under the state’s Professional Nursing Law, CRNAs are recognized only as registered nurses, not as CRNAs.

This brings logistical and financial challenges. Pennsylvania nurse anesthetists who serve in the military must secure designation in another state to provide anesthesia in the armed services. They cannot assist on rapid response teams in states affected by natural disasters because they lack formal credentials. And, after receiving training in Pennsylvania, many nurse anesthetists relocate to states with full credentialing, contributing to the state’s “brain drain.”

Bipartisan measures have been introduced in both the state House and Senate to finally recognize nurse anesthetists as “CRNAs” under Pennsylvania statute.

Senator John R. Gordner (R-Columbia) has re-introduced his professional designation legislation (S.B. 416). An identical measure passed the Senate unanimously in June 2019 before getting stuck in a House committee. Rep. Tarah Toohil (R-Luzerne) has re-introduced a companion bill (H.B. 931) in the House.

Two-thirds (67%) of Pennsylvania voters support professional designation for certified registered nurse anesthetists, including those who identify as Republican (59%), Democrat (75%) and Independent (62%), according to results of a statewide public opinion poll conducted last year by G. Terry Madonna Opinion Research.

CRNAs are the hands-on providers of anesthesia care, operating safely in every setting where anesthesia is administered, including hospital operating and delivery rooms; ambulatory surgical centers; the offices of dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, and plastic surgeons; pain management centers and more.

With advanced degrees and a high level of education and clinical experience, CRNAs are able to deliver the same safe, high-quality anesthesia care as physician anesthesiologists but at a lower cost, helping to control the nation’s rising health-care costs.

Because of their training and experience, numerous medical studies show there is no statistical difference in patient outcomes when a nurse anesthetist provides treatment. In fact, these studies by nationally recognized health-care policy and research organizations prove that CRNAs provide high-quality care, even for rare and difficult procedures.

For more information, visit www.PANAforQualityCare.com or follow along on social media via Twitter at @PANACRNA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PANACRNA.

###

It's time for nurse anesthetists to get formal recognition

By Matt McCoy

Because of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, all of us have had to confront personal and professional challenges we never thought we’d have to face. Even now, more than a year after this health-care crisis began, response and recovery efforts continue, with certified registered nurse anesthetists playing a major role.

CRNAs are the best-kept secret in health care. In the most ordinary situations, surgery and anesthesia can be frightening or intimidating. But nurse anesthetists provide comfort and reassurance by never leaving their patient’s side. We’re usually the last people patients see before a procedure begins and the first to greet them when they awake.

CRNAs promise their patients to be there for every heartbeat, every breath. When this pandemic separated families in crisis, that promise took on a whole new meaning. Many of us have been serving as frontline health-care workers, fulfilling critical roles inside and outside the operating room during this crisis. That’s because CRNAs are uniquely qualified to care for critically ill patients who are suffering because of this respiratory pandemic.

CRNAs are the hands-on providers of anesthesia care, operating safely in every setting where anesthesia is administered, including: hospital operating and delivery rooms; ambulatory surgical centers; the offices of dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, and plastic surgeons; pain management centers and more.

In response to COVID-19, many CRNAs have wanted to contribute more in the facilities where they work but couldn’t. Likewise, hospitals and other health-care institutions have wanted to use CRNAs to their fullest capacity but couldn’t, all because of the way the state licenses CRNAs, sometimes limiting our role to provide advanced, critical care services.

That’s because Pennsylvania remains just one of two states that fails to formally recognize “certified registered nurse anesthetist” in some form. Because there is no definition for nurse anesthetists under the state’s Professional Nursing Law, CRNAs are recognized only as registered nurses, despite their advanced education and training.

This brings logistical and financial challenges, and Pennsylvania CRNAs often have to obtain credentials from other states for certain activities.

Pennsylvania nurse anesthetists who serve in the military must secure designation in another state to provide anesthesia in the armed services. They cannot assist on rapid response teams in states affected by natural disasters because they lack formal credentials. And, after receiving training in Pennsylvania, many nurse anesthetists relocate to states with full credentialing, contributing to the state’s “brain drain.” Bipartisan measures have been introduced in both the state House and Senate to finally recognize nurse anesthetists as “CRNAs” under Pennsylvania statute. It’s an idea whose time has come, and it’s long past time for the state to act.

Two-thirds (67%) of Pennsylvania voters support professional designation for certified registered nurse anesthetists, including those who identify as Republican (59%), Democrat (75%) and Independent (62%), according to results of a statewide public opinion poll conducted last year by G. Terry Madonna Opinion Research.

Broad support like this should give lawmakers the confidence they need to advance this measure and finally provide CRNAs with the professional designation they deserve.

The commitment of CRNAs during this health-care crisis has availed more physicians to provide hands-on care, expanded the capacity of both CRNA and physician providers to help patients, and augmented the state’s health-care system to continue to meet the growing demands of this pandemic.

This crisis still requires an all-hands-on-deck approach. Our health-care systems are still challenged to function at high capacity. As long as response and recovery efforts continue, CRNAs will remain a critical part of the solution. It is time for nurse anesthetists to finally receive the formal recognition they deserve for their contributions to this crisis and the safe, affordable delivery of care overall.

McCoy is President of the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetist and a resident of Westtown Township, Chester County.

Original Post

Two-thirds of Pa. Voters Support Professional Designation for CRNAs

Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kurt Knaus; P: 717-724-2866; E: kurt@ceislermedia.com

Two-thirds of Pa. Voters Support Professional Designation for CRNAs

Pennsylvania is one of just two states that fails to recognize nurse anesthetists in some form

HARRISBURG (April 20, 2020) --- Two-thirds (67%) of Pennsylvania voters support professional designation for certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), including those who identify as Republican (59%), Democrat (75%) and Independent (62%), according to results of a statewide public opinion poll conducted by G. Terry Madonna Opinion Research.

Pennsylvania is one of just two states that fails to recognize CRNAs in some form. Because there is no definition for “certified registered nurse anesthetist” under the state’s Professional Nursing Law, CRNAs are recognized only as registered nurses, not as CRNAs. That brings logistical and financial burdens, and it continues to inhibit our full response to this health-care pandemic.

In response to COVID-19, many CRNAs want to contribute more in the facilities where they work but can’t. Likewise, hospitals and other health-care institutions want to use CRNAs to their fullest capacity but can’t. Many of these facilities feel restricted by the way the state licenses CRNAs and will not allow nurse anesthetists to provide advanced, critical care services, even though it is within their education, training, clinical experience and scope of practice --- meaning this valuable health-care resource remains untapped during a time of crisis.

There are other challenges as well. Pennsylvania nurse anesthetists who serve in the military must secure designation in another state to provide anesthesia in the armed services. They cannot assist on rapid response teams in states affected by natural disasters because they lack formal credentials. And, after receiving training in Pennsylvania, many nurse anesthetists relocate to states with full credentialing, contributing to the state’s “brain drain.”

Bipartisan measures have been introduced in both chambers to recognize nurse anesthetists as “CRNAs” under Pennsylvania statute, with one bill (S.B. 325), sponsored by Sen. John R. Gordner (R-Columbia), receiving Senate approval last year. The legislation remains under consideration in the House Professional Licensure Committee.

“Broad support like this should give lawmakers the confidence they need to advance this measure and finally provide CRNAs with the professional designation they deserve,” said Angelarosa G. DiDonato, DNP, CRNA, president of the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA), which represents more than 3,700 CRNAs and students in the state.

CRNAs are the hands-on providers of anesthesia care, operating safely in every setting where anesthesia is administered, including: hospital operating and delivery rooms; ambulatory surgical centers; the offices of dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, and plastic surgeons; pain management centers and more.

Pennsylvania is recognized as a leader in anesthesia education and training, with 13 university-led programs. Yet, without an official CRNA designation in the state, many students leave the state. Some graduating students have to wait as long as six months to get credentialed in out-of-state facilities, as state boards must verify that the students meet the requirements necessary to be classified appropriately there.

According to the poll findings, respondents agree (47% agree to 28% disagree) that students who graduate from one of Pennsylvania’s education and training programs ultimately may leave the state because of issues with designation, going to a state that fully recognizes their profession. In the same respect, respondents agree (51% to 23%) that having professional designation would help to attract and retain these professionals.

According to the poll, respondents agree (45% to 40%) that there is no difference in patient outcomes when a CRNA provides treatment compared to an anesthesiologist. Numerous medical studies back them up. In fact, studies by nationally recognized health-care policy and research organizations prove that outcomes are nearly identical in these cases and that CRNAs provide high-quality care, even for rare and difficult procedures.

Not only are CRNAs critical to patient care, but they also help to reduce the cost of health care. Respondents also agree (46% to 40%) that CRNAs help to keep down health-care costs.

That is especially true in rural areas, where CRNAs are the main providers of anesthesia care, delivering essential health care and preventing gaps in services. CRNAs are far less costly for hospitals to employ, so rural hospitals, for example, are able to staff emergency services with in-house CRNAs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so that every Pennsylvania resident has access to these needed services.

The poll, conducted by ProBusinessConnection, interviewed 650 registered voters in the state and includes both landline and cellular households. The margin of error is +/-4.8 percent.

For more information about certified registered nurse anesthetists in Pennsylvania, visit www.PANAforQualityCare.com or follow along on social media via Twitter at @PANACRNA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PANACRNA.

###