CRNAs are Well-Suited to Meet Today’s Healthcare Challenges
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) have provided anesthesia to patients for over 150 years.
CRNAs collaborate with surgeons, anesthesiologists, dentists, podiatrists, and qualified healthcare professionals to deliver safe, high-quality, and cost effective patient care in all healthcare setting.
When anesthesia is administered by a nurse anesthetist, it is recognized as the practice of nursing; when administered by an anesthesiologist, it is recognized as the practice of medicine.
While all anesthesia professionals deliver the same anesthetics, anesthesia care delivered by a CRNA is especially well-suited to meet the needs of today’s changing and challenging healthcare environment.
Key benefits of CRNA-delivered anesthesia care include:
Most cost-effective anesthesia care model
Ensures access to anesthesia in medically underserved communities where surgical, obstetric, and trauma services otherwise would not be available
Consistently provides a safe anesthesia experience and quality outcome for each patient
Extensive preparation for handling emergency situations
Healthcare team members count on CRNAs to provide services beyond anesthesia care
CRNAs: Cost-Effective Care
As healthcare providers brace to handle providing care to million of customers, managing costs is paramount concern. Their challenge – improve patient access to safe, quality care without over-burdening the system.
Enter the CRNA. These trained professionals deliver the same safe, high-quality care as other anesthesia professionals but at a lower cost. In fact, a landmark study published in 2010 found that the most cost-effective anesthesia delivery model is a CRNA working as the sole anesthesia provider.
Medicare pays the same fee for anesthesia services provided by a CRNA, an anesthesiologist, or both working together. So, higher compensation of the anesthesiologist is borne by the healthcare facility, and patients.
Legislation of the Affordable Care Act promotes coverage of CRNA services within their scope of practice, so health plans support a competitive, high-quality healthcare marketplace. Managed care plans recognize CRNAs for providing high-quality anesthesia care with reduced expenses to patients and insurance companies.
CRNAs: Accessible Care
Affordable healthcare for everyone is a goal of healthcare systems, even with influx of more customers. CRNA-managed anesthesia care prevents gaps in access and delivers needed services in thousands of communities.
When access is the problem, CRNA-administered anesthesia care is often the first, best solution:
* CRNAs are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural America.
* In some states, CRNAs are the sole anesthesia professionals in nearly 100 percent of rural hospitals.
* CRNAs provide rural Americans access to surgical, obstetrical, trauma and pain management. Individuals do not have to travel long distances to receive needed care. Without those services, local hospitals in rural communities could not exist. Without rural hospitals, the viability of rural communities would be at risk.
* CRNAs are the primary anesthesia professionals in many medically underserved inner-city communities.
* CRNAs provide the majority of anesthesia care in the Veterans Administration and U.S. military.
* CRNAs have been predominant providers of anesthesia services to maternity patients during labor and delivery, for years. CRNAs monitor fetal status prior to analgesic or anesthesia intervention, and are available to help with neonatal assessment and resuscitation.
CRNAs: Safe Care
Like all healthcare professionals, a quality outcome for each patient is the main mission of CRNAs, who take steps every day to consistently deliver on this mission. In the U.S., deaths attributed to anesthesia during surgery are extremely rare, occurring approximately once in every 250,000-300,000 anesthetics provided.
Several landmark studies confirm that CRNAs achieve the same level of safety and quality as their physician counterparts. In fact, researchers consistently find anesthesia care is equally safe whether provided by a CRNA working alone, an anesthesiologist working alone or a CRNA working with an anesthesiologist.
Not surprising, laws, rules or regulations in well over half of all states do not require physician supervision of CRNAs. Seventeen states have opted out of the federal Medicare requirement that calls for physician supervision of CRNAs. In the operating room, surgeons quite properly defer to nurse anesthetists as the experts in anesthesia care, regardless of whether their state requires physician supervision.
CRNAs: Educated Care
Patients, caregivers and administrators must have confidence in professionals providing healthcare. As highly educated, advanced practice registered nurses, CRNAs deliver anesthesia to patients using the same procedures as physician anesthesiologists. With an average of three and a half years of critical care experience before entering a nurse anesthesia program, CRNAs are well prepared to respond appropriately in emergencies. They are the only anesthesia professionals with this level of critical care experience prior to beginning formal anesthesia education.
Additionally, nurse anesthetists attain seven to eight years of education, training and work experience. Today’s CRNAs enter the workforce with a master’s or doctoral degree. CRNAs must receive their master’s or doctoral degree from a program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA). By 2025, all CRNAs will receive a doctoral degree from a program accredited by the COA.
During surgery, often the patient’s life rests in the hands of their anesthetist. This enormous responsibility requires CRNAs to use every aspect of their education and training, nursing skills and scientific knowledge. CRNAs are qualified to administer every type of anesthesia to all types of patients in any healthcare setting. Nurse anesthetists deliver comprehensive care using all accepted anesthetic techniques including general, regional, sedation, local and pain management.
CRNAs: Collaborative Care
Patients, caregivers and facility administrators expect their healthcare team to work together. CRNAs are prepared to collaborate with all members of the patient care team including surgeons, endoscopists, radiologists, podiatrists, obstetricians, anesthesiologists, nurses, technicians, other specialists.
In today’s fast-paced healthcare environment, patients and the patient care team also look to their CRNA to fill roles beyond administering anesthetics.
* CRNAs are responsible for patient safety before, during and after anesthesia.
* CRNAs sustain a patient’s critical life functions throughout surgical, obstetrical and other procedures.
* CRNAs are uniquely prepared to assess, identify and manage the care of patients suffering from acute and/or chronic pain.
* CRNAs select and administer other types of drugs to preserve life functions.
* CRNAs analyze situations and respond quickly and appropriately in emergencies.
* CRNAs provide that special spirit of caring that is unique to all nurses.
In recognition of our profession’s long history and enduring record of patient safety, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) across the country are celebrating the 19th annual National CRNA Week, January 21-27, 2018, with the unified mantra “Quality and Excellence in Anesthesia Care“.
One of the many rewards of being a nurse anesthetist is providing patients with the comfort of knowing that I will be by their side monitoring their vital signs and adjusting their anesthetics to ensure a pain free and safe anesthesia experience. National CRNA Week is an opportunity to inform the public exactly what CRNAs do and who we are.