VANA praises the release of the Joint Commission on Health Care’s report: Strategies to Strengthen the Anesthesia Workforce in Virginia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 27, 2024
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Adam Bitely
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VANA praises the release of the Joint Commission on Health Care’s report: Strategies to Strengthen the Anesthesia Workforce in Virginia
RICHMOND, VA. – The following statement was issued today by Derek Owens, DrAP, CRNA, president of the Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthetists (VANA), following the release of a new report from the Joint Commission on Health Care titled Strategies to Strengthen the Anesthesia Workforce in Virginia:
“The Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthetists is grateful to the Joint Commission on Health Care (JCHC) for their thoughtful and thorough examination of the anesthesia provider workforce in Virginia. We are encouraged by the Commission’s efforts and the hundreds of hours of work that went into providing clarity on the critical role of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) in delivering safe, high-quality anesthesia care to Virginians.
“The following key excerpts from the report are critical to understanding the value CRNAs bring to addressing patient needs in Virginia as anesthesia experts:
- Literature suggests there is no difference in patient safety or patient outcomes with CRNAs compared to anesthesiologists. Stakeholders agreed that both anesthesiologists and CRNAs provide safe, effective, and high-quality anesthesia services to patients after completing thousands of hours of education and training.
- Stakeholders agree that more restrictive supervision requirements for CRNAs would be detrimental to efforts to address anesthesia workforce shortages, particularly for remote or rural facilities in Virginia which use proceduralists as CRNA supervisors and may not have physician anesthesiologists on staff.
- Evidence indicates that less restrictive CRNA supervision requirements present a low risk of harm to patients and a possible benefit to the anesthesia workforce.
- Stakeholders interviewed nearly unanimously supported increasing the capacity of Virginia’s physician anesthesiology residency programs and CRNA doctoral training programs as a strategy to address provider shortages.
“The JCHC’s findings also acknowledge the importance of addressing workforce shortages and exploring innovative solutions to meet the growing demand for anesthesia services. We are particularly pleased to see recognition of CRNAs’ contributions and the potential for enhanced partnership with physicians to improve access to care. VANA remains committed to working with policy stakeholders and our partners in the legislature to build on this progress and support policies that empower CRNAs to deliver patient-centered care.”
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