Newswise — The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) applauds Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) for introducing Senate bill 2070, a patient safety measure that would prohibit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from superseding state patient safety laws and replacing physician anesthesiologists with nurses in surgery at VA hospitals. A dangerous VA proposal intending to put such a change into practice would put Veterans’ lives at risk and lower the quality of care for those who served our country. ASA believes our nation’s Veterans deserve the same high standard of care as all Americans. This is the first time legislation regarding this issue has been introduced in the U.S. Senate. The bill will serve as a Senate companion to Congressman David Scott’s (D-GA-13) House bill, H.R. 3347.
The VA’s current anesthesia policy respects state law and uses the Anesthesia Team Model, in which physician anesthesiologists provide clinical oversight of nurse anesthetists, to keep Veterans safe during surgery and ensure the best outcomes. VA has provided care under this model for decades. In fact, VA reaffirmed this standard of anesthesia care in 2017 after an exhaustive, multiyear review and again in 2019. The 2017 review garnered a record-breaking number of public comments – more than 200,000 to the Federal Register.
With the enactment of the historic “Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022” or PACT Act, the VA hospitals will be caring for even more Veterans who have been exposed to toxic substances from burn pits and Agent Orange. For many Veterans, this exposure has resulted in serious health conditions that can increase risks during surgery. The VA must ensure that these PACT Act patients have highly trained physician anesthesiologists involved in their care.
“It does not make sense for VA to make this historic investment in the care of PACT Act Veterans and then increase their risk in the operating room,” said ASA President Michael W. Champeau, M.D., FAAP, FASA. “Anesthesia care without physician involvement is rare. Nearly everyone in our country, 95% of the population, lives in a state where a physician-led model of anesthesia care is practiced. All the top-rated hospitals in our country use the team model of anesthesia care, with oversight by anesthesiologists. If respected hospitals set this standard of care for the protection of their patients, why would VA lower their standard of care?”
“We want to thank Sens. Cantwell and Cassidy for introducing this bill and protecting Veterans,” continued Dr. Champeau. “Veterans receiving care in VA hospitals deserve the exact same standard of care as patients across the street in a local community hospital – not a lower one.”
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