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Senate approves conference report on House Bill 979 after clarification on CRNA supervision
Summary
The Tennessee Senate accepted the conference committee report on House Bill 979, which preserves the current medical board makeup and adds clarified supervision language. Senators debated whether the changes would alter certified registered nurse anesthetists' (CRNAs) scope of practice before voting to adopt the report.
The Tennessee Senate on April 22 accepted the conference committee report on House Bill 979 after senators sought and received clarification that the bill would not change CRNAs' existing practice arrangements.
The measure, which the conference committee unanimously approved, retains the current composition of the Board of Medical Examiners and incorporates clarifying language around medical supervision and Medicare conditions of payment that the Senate said reflected the body’s original intent.
Senator Hale moved to accept the conference committee report; the motion was properly seconded and brought to a vote. Chairman Bailey, who worked on the conference committee, explained the committee used the House language as a base and added supervision language intended to mirror the Senate’s prior intent.
Senator Cyndra Hensley asked whether the change would require CRNAs to work under a 4-to-1 anesthesiologist-to-assistant ratio in hospitals that hire an anesthesiologist. Chairman Bailey responded that the added “medical supervision” language was intended to preserve existing practice patterns: it should not place CRNAs under a 1-to-4 supervisory model when a hospital directly employs an anesthesiologist, and it should allow CRNAs to continue practicing under the supervision model that they currently have.
Hensley said she had voted against the bill originally because of that concern and said the clarification satisfied her. Another senator restated that the bill’s intent is for CRNAs to remain under the direct supervision of the attending surgeon or physician — not automatically under an anesthesiologist — “just the same as they practice today.”
After discussion, the Senate recorded 31 ayes and no nays on the conference committee report and declared it the action of the body.
The bill’s supporters said the conference changes preserve existing professional-board structures while clarifying supervision language intended to resolve stakeholder concerns; opponents’ recorded objections were limited to earlier stages of the bill’s consideration rather than the conference report adopted on the floor.
The Senate moved next to other conference reports and final business for the day.
