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.

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PANA works with Wolf administration on new Ketamine prescribing guidelines

The administration of Gov. Tom Wolf today announced new guidelines for subanesthetic dosing of Ketamine, Guidelines for the Safe Administration of Subanesthetic Ketamine, to assist physicians and advanced practice nurses working to treat patients.

These guidelines were developed by the Safe and Effective Prescribing Task Force, which included a representative of the Pennsylvania Association or Nurse Anesthetists.

Jessica Poole, DNAP, MHS, CRNA, and Government Relations Director for PANA, represented the profession on the Department of Health committee, which studied the issue for roughly two years before issuing the guidelines.

CRNAs are playing a major role in curtailing the opioid epidemic by manipulating their anesthetic to provide narcotic-sparing and often narcotic-free anesthesia. Additionally, anesthesia professionals utilize subanesthetic doses of Ketamine to treat opioid-tolerant patients, chronic non-cancer pain patients, and those in palliative care.

The ketamine guideline differs from previous prescribing guidelines by addressing administration of a non-opioid.

The ketamine guideline provides best practices for the subanesthetic administration of ketamine for a variety of conditions. This includes recommendations for the treatment team, treatment location, patient selection, and patient monitoring.

Learn more about this important decision HERE. Or access the Guidelines for the Safe Administration of Subanesthetic Ketamine directly.