Committee approves bill to change CRNA statute from 'supervision' to 'in coordination with'

The Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee voted to advance SB 184 after testimony from CRNAs, anesthesiologists and association representatives about rural anesthesia practice and statutory language.

Sponsor Sen. Stubblefield said the bill simply replaces the word "supervisory" with "in coordination with" in statute to better reflect how anesthesia is provided in many rural hospitals. He said the change does not alter the requirement that anesthesia be ordered by a physician or other authorized clinician and that hospitals can retain internal policies that require a higher standard.

CRNA Lance Ogle described advanced education and recertification standards for nurse anesthetists and cited outcome studies he said show comparable results whether CRNAs practice with or without anesthesiologist presence. "CRNAs provide a high level of quality care that is cost effective while we increase the access to services, especially in our rural counties," Ogle said.

Opposing witnesses, including anesthesiologists Dr. Danny Wilkerson and Dr. Martin Porter, urged caution. They argued that supervision implies accountability and immediate availability in critical events and that the proposed "coordination" language is not defined in the bill. Dr. Porter warned that changing the statutory term could alter on-the-ground decision-making by surgeons and shift liability in ways that affect patient safety.

Supporters and the bill attorney for nurse groups said "coordination" is a commonly understood term that better reflects current practice in critical access hospitals, and they emphasized that the bill is permissive: it would not require hospitals to remove higher internal standards. The committee voted to pass SB 184.

The measure will proceed according to the legislative process for further consideration in the Senate.