Working with ASA's state components and grassroots members, the ASA Department of State Affairs faced another busy and eventful year. In 2022, the State Affairs team reviewed more than 1,000 pieces of legislation and at least 500 proposed regulations to assist state component societies as they work to protect patient safety in each state. Ultimately, State Affairs assisted state component societies in defeating several efforts to remove physician oversight/involvement from anesthesia care, protecting against medical title misappropriation, and expanding jurisdictions where certified anesthesiologist assistants (CAAs) are authorized to practice.
Legislation: This session, nearly a dozen state legislatures considered misguided legislation that would have reduced or eliminated physician involvement requirements for nurse anesthetists. State Affairs worked very closely with the component societies in these states, achieving strong wins that maintain patient safety. In Florida, such legislation was defeated for the 23rd year in a row. North Carolina also defeated another...
