Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Scope bill on anesthesiology assistants prompts heated debate over rural access
Loading...
Summary
HF 44‑60 would license Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAAs). Proponents say CAAs expand workforce; nurse‑anesthetists say supervision requirements limit rural benefit and could substitute lower‑trained staff in metropolitan facilities; committee agreed more work is needed.
Representative Hewitt introduced House File 44‑60 as a scope bill to consider licensure for Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAAs). Jake Eiler, president of the Minnesota Society of Anesthesiologists, said CAAs are federally recognized and practiced in other states and would add qualified professionals to anesthesia teams.
Opponents, including Robin Finney (Minnesota Association of Nurse Anesthetists) and Leah Gordon (CRNA program director), argued CAAs require anesthesiologist supervision and therefore are unlikely to improve access in rural counties where CRNAs provide independent care. “CRNAs provide sole anesthesia in 97% of our critical access hospitals,” Gordon said, adding that requiring supervision would be “a step backwards.”
Samantha Salmon, a practicing CAA who lives in St. Paul and commutes to Wisconsin to work, urged licensure so CAAs could return to Minnesota and help staffing. The committee heard competing evidence about workforce distribution, training models, and whether the change would expand rural access or mainly affect metropolitan staffing models. Members said the bill is not ready for passage and laid it over to allow further engagement with stakeholders.
