Newswise — CHICAGO – The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today offered it medical expertise to the Trump Administration as it works to improve Medicare beneficiaries’ access to physician care, implement transparency and market-based reforms, while reducing cost and regulatory burdens as provided in President Trump’s Executive Order “Protecting and Improving Medicare for Our Nation’s Seniors.”

“ASA supports the President’s efforts to make the Medicare program work more efficiently and effectively for our patients,” said ASA President Linda Mason, M.D., FASA. “Developing standards for network adequacy is fundamental to ensuring Medicare beneficiaries can readily consult with the physician of their choice. In addition, ASA endorses efforts to address Medicare fee-for-service payments. Medicare fee-for-service payments have long been undervalued for the medical specialty of anesthesiology. We do, however, raise concerns with respect to the proposed regulation that would impact supervision requirements, conditions of participation and stand ready to work with the Administration to address these provisions, recognizing the unique patient safety needs of the Medicare population in the surgical and acute care setting.”

“We look forward to working with the Administration in the development of sound regulations to advance the goals outlined by the President yesterday,” said Dr. Mason.

 

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS

Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 53,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care every patient deserves.

For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about the role physician anesthesiologists play in ensuring patient safety, visit asahq.org/WhenSecondsCount. Like ASA on Facebook, follow ASALifeline on Twitter.

 

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