Newswise — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following an exhaustive 10-month assessment of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the independent federal Commission on Care has submitted 18 recommendations to the Obama Administration concerning the future direction of the VHA, including support for the current proposed rule by the Veterans Administration (VA) to allow full practice authority for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and other advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in VHA facilities.
With the proposed rule’s comment period just past the halfway mark, the commission’s report adds more data to the growing stack of evidence in support of allowing CRNAs and other APRNs to practice to the full scope of their education, training, and abilities in the VHA, without physician supervision. The VA’s proposed rule, published on May 25 in the Federal Register, would improve veterans’ access to essential healthcare by reducing long wait times for appointments and services. Public comments on the rule will be taken until July 25.
“The evidence cannot be denied,” said Juan Quintana, DNP, MHS, CRNA, president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). “The commission’s final report, delivered to the White House Tuesday evening, is one more data driven document that highlights the need for allowing all APRNs, including CRNAs, to have full practice authority as a major step toward increasing veterans’ access to quality healthcare.”
The comprehensive 308-page document reports that 23 percent of healthcare professionals in the VHA are not working to the top of their licensure, identifying this underuse of available resources as a major barrier to effective healthcare provision. One solution recommended by the commission is implementation of policy that allows full practice authority for APRNs.
During its examination of veterans’ access to healthcare and how to best deliver healthcare services over the next two decades, the commission reviewed the results of the independent assessment of the VHA that was ordered by Congress in 2015; met with a broad range of stakeholders, including veterans and leaders of Veterans Service Organizations; made site visits to VHA facilities; and exchanged ideas with VA leaders and employees, members of Congress, and healthcare experts. Ten APRN and nursing groups, including the AANA, provided an outline for the commission on the role and recommendations of APRNs to improve VHA healthcare delivery. From the beginning, the commissioners agreed that their final recommendations would be decided by consensus and be data driven.
The important new policy to allow full practice authority for VA APRNs in order to improve veterans’ access to timely healthcare is supported by veterans groups such as AMVETS, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of America, and Air Force Sergeants Association; AARP (whose membership includes 3.7 million veteran households); numerous healthcare professional organizations including the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) and other APRN associations; and 80 Democratic and Republican members of Congress.
About the American Association of Nurse AnesthetistsFounded in 1931 and located in Park Ridge, Ill., the AANA is the professional organization for more than 49,000 nurse anesthetists across the United States. As advanced practice registered nurses, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) safely provide approximately 40 million anesthetics to patients each year for surgical, obstetrical, pain management, and trauma stabilization services. Nurses began administering anesthesia during the American Civil War, and today CRNAs in the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force all practice without physician supervision. CRNAs are nationally certified and are the sole anesthesia providers in the majority of field, general, and combat support hospitals, and forward advance surgical teams that care for critically injured soldiers in austere environments. Additional information about the AANA and CRNAs is available at www.aana.com, http://www.VeteransAccesstoCare.com, and http://www.aana.com/future-today.
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