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	Archive > May, 2001	Vol. II, No. 5

Letters to the Editor

The Anesthesia Debate Continues

To the Editor - In the April 2001 issue of Outpatient Surgery, Dr. Marc T. Reichel writes that, in the February feature on HCFA's removal of the physician supervision requirement for CRNAs [This Just In, February 2001], the importance of President Bush's suspension of the ruling is understated. Actually, the suspension is irrelevant. All new Presidents typically suspend the outgoing President's regulatory changes until they have time to review them.. President Bush did not suspend only the CRNA supervision ruling. He suspended most of Clinton's regulatory changes proposed in the in the final weeks of his presidency.

Dr. Reichel complains about HCFA ignoring internal physician committees and state medical societies. HCFA ignored nothing. Before they decided to change the regulation to reflect how anesthesia is actually practiced in the USA, HCFA studied the information for a number of years. They saw through attempts by some special interest physicians to maintain financial control of health care.

The battle is ongoing. There have been recent reports of CRNAs being fired, threatened, and coerced into writing letters of opposition to the HCFA regulatory change. A CRNA reports being sued by an anesthesiologist over state congressional testimony. Another reported being offered money to change testimony before a state committee. Yet another CRNA reported a state Lt. Governor being given $250,000, then convincing key legislators to vote in favor of CRNA supervision by physicians. Don't tell me this fight isn't about money. That's all it is!

Jerry Campbell, CRNA
Colby, Kansas

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