Jan Setnor, MSN, CRNA, Col. (Ret) USAFR, NC
Congratulations to Jan Setnor, MSN, CRNA, Col. (Ret) USAFR, NC., who just completed a phenomenal year as president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. Originally a Virginia CRNA, Setnor’s term was marked with broad success for CRNAs, nationwide, as she represented the profession nationally, condemned cuts in reimbursements, and advocated for timely, high-quality anesthesia care for all Americans, including our veterans. Some additional highlights from her term included:
- Condemning a discriminatory anesthesia reimbursement policy in December 2024, which led to its reversal two days later.
- Advocating for the ICAN Act, which will allow CRNAs to order and refer medically necessary services, permanently remove unnecessary physician supervision under Medicare, promote payment parity in the teaching rules, ensure proper reimbursement for CRNAs to provide quality anesthesia and pain management for patients in Medicare, and provide access to CRNA services in Medicaid.
- Supporting timely, high-quality anesthesia care for veterans.
- Connecting with hundreds of nurse anesthetists at the AANA annual conference in DC this past April.
- West Virginia signed SB 810, becoming the 44th state to remove barriers to anesthesia care and expanding access to high-quality anesthesia care for patients across the state.
- Submitting letters to the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, responding to their Requests for Information on anticompetitive regulatory barriers. AANA’s comments highlighted the anticompetitive environment in which CRNAs must practice, specifically on supervision requirements in the Medicare program, the VA, the government’s failure to enforce statutory provider non-discrimination provisions, and more.
- Setnor and the AANA condemned cuts in reimbursement for claims submitted for services rendered by a CRNA independently, pushing for changes.
- This August 1, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee passed the bipartisan Labor-HHS Appropriations legislation report with the following language included, with unanimous support: “Reimbursements for certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). The Committee is aware of recent efforts to reduce the reimbursement for CRNA-provided anesthesia, in conflict with section 2706(a) of the Public Health Service Act. The Committee directs the Departments of Health and Human Services and Labor to take appropriate action to address this issue and protect access to anesthesia services for rural and underserved communities.”
VANA is grateful to Jan Setnor for her work, commitment, and tireless advocacy on these and so many other issues this year. CRNAs in Virginia and around the nation are in a stronger position due to her advocacy.
