TANA Opposes Anesthesiologist Assistants in Tennessee

Call your legislators and ask them to Oppose SB 764 / HB 979 today!

 

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HB 979 / SB 764 presents serious threats to Tennessee patients and hospitals - particularly in rural areas. Learn more about the issues in these short videos:

Allowing Anesthesiologist Assistants to practice in Tennessee will not increase access to anesthesia care — watch this video to see why.

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Who would you prefer administer anesthesia to you or a loved one? This video breaks down the education requirements for each kind of provider.

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Instead of saving costs, the onset of Anesthesiologist Assistants could actually increase health care expenses. Learn why here,

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Bringing Anesthesiologist Assistants to Tennessee presents significant concerns of insurance fraud, learn why with this video.

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Tennessee patients deserve the highest standards of anesthesia care, not third-tier providers without certified nursing training, making critical decisions about anesthesia. There is a bill in Tennessee’s state legislature, SB 764 / HB 979, that threatens to disrupt a safe and proven system by allowing Anesthesiologist Assistants (AAs) – non-nurses with significantly less training than Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) – to practice with vague supervision.

Call your legislators and ask them to Oppose SB 764 / HB 979 today!  Find out more about the bill and how to reach out to your legislator at the links below.

Message Points

TANA urges legislators to vote NO on SB764/HB979 and protect patients, anesthesia providers and health care affordability in Tennessee. The bill will introduce a lesser-trained anesthesia provider called Anesthesiologist Assistants (AAs). 

  • Currently, Certified Registered Nurse Assistants (CRNAs) deliver 93 percent of direct anesthesia care across the state. The majority of CRNAs work independently in Tennessee’s smaller communities. 
  • With only (2) years of relevant education, AA receive significantly less training and experience than CRNAs, who receive more than (8) years of training and experience. CRNAs and AAs are not interchangeable! 
  • An AA must be supervised by a physician anesthesiologist, but that does NOT mean that the physician anesthesiologist will be in the room when an AA is administering anesthesia. 
  • A CRNA is educated and trained to be an autonomous anesthesia provider with the ability to practice every setting where anesthesia is provided.  
  • The bill introduces a model that lacks essential supervision and transparency, compromising patient safety and trust. 
  • The onset of AAs gives more market control and incentives for physician anesthesiologists, at great costs to the delivery of care to Tennessee patients.  
  • Under this bill, most rural hospitals and providers will be forced to hire both physician anesthesiologists and AAs. There are not enough physician anesthesiologists in Tennessee, so this requirement will exacerbate anesthesia care shortages – especially for smaller communities. 

Please oppose Tennessee bill SB764/HB979 and protect patients and anesthesia care in Tennessee. 

Helpful Links

For Talking Points, Sample Letters, Legislative Alerts and any supporting materials, please click here.

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