As this message reaches you, we are nearing the end of a hectic, productive, and exciting month. Thank you to all program administrators, faculty, clinical instructors, and residents who joined us in Tucson at the Assembly of Didactic and Clinical Educators. The future of our profession is bright due to the dedication of our extraordinary educators.
A Competitive EDGE
ADCE 2025 also brought some exciting news: In 2026, AANA’s in-person event for educators will have a bold new name: EDGE. This new name, which stands for Educate, Develop, Grow, Engage, expresses a focus on innovative teaching, deeper personal connections, and professional growth for didactic educators. You’ll be hearing more about EDGE in the coming months, and we know that educators can look forward to a fresh, CRNA-inspired experience next February at the Omni in Louisville, KY.
A resounding round of applause goes to the AANA Education Committee, which has worked tirelessly since ADCE 2024 to create an event that is more engaging, more innovative, and more relevant to the educators who are shaping the future of this proud profession.
A Busy Month in Advocacy
As you can see from the Advocacy Updates news items in the newsletter below, February has not been a slow news month. While staying on top of and responding to constant change, AANA always takes a proactive stance in ensuring that our profession’s legislative and regulatory priorities are heard on the federal and state levels.
As always, thank you for all that you do, and for supporting your colleagues and profession through your AANA membership.
AANA Calls on New HHS Secretary to Eliminate CRNA Barriers to Care
AANA Sends Congratulatory Letter to New HRSA Administrator Tom Engels
Ask Your Representative to Support Bill Reversing Cuts To Medicare Reimbursement
AANA Champions Full Practice Authority for CRNAs in the Veterans Health Administration
Mark Your Calendars: Meet the Candidates for AANA Leadership at Virtual Forums
AANA Embarks on Diversity Anesthesia Pathways Tour
EUC Policy Applied for 2024 and 2025 Performance Periods
Revised Infection Control Chapter for The Joint Commission Office-Based Surgery Standards Effective July 1, 2025
Advancing Anesthesia Care in Laos: A CRNA’s Global Mission to Educate Nurse Anesthetists
CRNA Represents AANA on ACS Committee on Trauma Rural Advisory Council
CRNA Reappointed to the AAAHC Medicare Committee
ADVOCACY UPDATES
ICAN Act Reintroduced in 119th Congress
The Improving Care and Access to Nurses (ICAN) Act was reintroduced by U.S. Representatives Dave Joyce (R-OH), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Lauren Underwood (D-IL), and Jen Kiggans (R-VA), on February 14. The ICAN Act would remove practice barriers to APRNs by allowing them to provide more comprehensive healthcare services to patients across the country. The legislation aligns with the Trump Administration’s report calling for the removal of barriers to APRNs, as well as multiple independent recommendations from groups across the political spectrum.
The AANA supports this legislation, which will remove unnecessary physician supervision of CRNAs/nurse anesthesiologists and provide access to CRNA services in Medicaid. This would improve efficiency in anesthesia, lowering costs for patients and increasing access to care as the nation faces a shortage of anesthesia providers. Read more.
AANA Calls on New HHS Secretary to Eliminate CRNA Barriers to Care
The AANA congratulates Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on his confirmation as Secretary of Health and Human Services and stands ready to work with his Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on cutting costly, burdensome, and inefficient healthcare regulations and removing barriers to care for CRNA practice.
In a February 13 letter to Secretary Kennedy, AANA President Janet Setnor, MSN, CRNA, Col. (Ret), USAFR, NC, outlined how AANA and HHS can work together on removing barriers to efficient anesthesia care delivery by CRNAs.
Setnor urged Secretary Kennedy to remove “onerous and unnecessary physician anesthesiologist supervision requirements” placed on CRNAs by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as part of the Medicare hospital and critical access hospital Conditions of Participation and ambulatory surgical center Conditions for Coverage. CMS allows states to opt-out of this requirement for CRNAs, but this process is onerous, and CRNAs are the only provider type to be required to go through this hurdle. HHS has the authority to make changes to the CMS requirements, and in the letter, Setnor requested that Secretary Kennedy permanently eliminate these supervision requirements along with the opt-out requirement. Read more.
AANA Sends Congratulatory Letter to New HRSA Administrator Tom Engels
On Tuesday February 18, AANA sent a letter to Tom Engles, the new Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Administrator Engels previously served in the same role from 2019-2021 under the previous Trump Administration. The letter calls upon the Administrator to help clear arbitrary barriers to CRNA full practice authority, ensure robust support for Title VIII programs such as the Nurse Anesthetist Traineeship Program (NAT), continue the important work of the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP), and update HRSA data so it accurately reflects healthcare workforce supply and demand. AANA will be meeting with the Administrator and his staff on AANA priorities.
Ask Your Representative to Support Bill Reversing Cuts To Medicare Reimbursement
A 2.83% cut to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule went into effect on January 1, 2025. AANA has been hard at work fighting against cuts to reimbursement for CRNAs and other providers, which only harm patient access to critical healthcare services.
Please ask your U.S. Representative to support the “Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act,” (H.R. 879) which would reverse the 2.83% cut and provide a 2% inflationary update to Medicare payments between April 1 and December 31, 2025.
AANA Champions Full Practice Authority for CRNAs in the Veterans Health Administration
The AANA has congratulated newly confirmed Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins and called on him to grant full practice authority to CRNAs/nurse anesthesiologists across the VA health system, a move that would expand veterans’ access to essential high-quality anesthesia care.
In a letter to Secretary Collins, AANA President Janet Setnor, MSN, CRNA, Col. (Ret), USAFR, NC, emphasized the crucial role of CRNAs in delivering comprehensive anesthesia services to veterans. Approximately 1,100 CRNAs serve in the VA health system, providing expert anesthesia and pain management care across diverse clinical settings. Read more.
SIGNIFICANT NEWS
Mark Your Calendars: Meet the Candidates for AANA Leadership at Virtual Forums
On April 16 and 17, AANA members can hear directly from candidates for the AANA Board of Directors and elected committees at live virtual forums. Members can submit questions in advance, which will then be reviewed and selected by the Leadership Identification Committee. Both sessions will be recorded for members who cannot participate in live sessions.
AANA Embarks on Diversity Anesthesia Pathways Tour
As a way for undergraduate nursing students to explore the profession of CRNAs/nurse anesthesiologists and the work that they do, the AANA is launching a Diversity Anesthesia Pathways (DAP) Tour.
CRNAs and nurse anesthesia residents are hitting the road to educate undergraduate nursing students about the preparedness requirements and benefits of becoming a CRNA, with an opportunity to have firsthand airway experience.
The DAP Tour and its ambassadors will be visiting North Carolina Central University, California State University Long Beach, Grambling State University, Chicago State University, and Alcorn State University. Read more.
Mark Your Calendars: Virtual Bylaws and Resolutions Hearing on Tuesday, April 21 at 7 p.m. CT
Join your colleagues on Monday, April 21, at 7 p.m. CT to learn about proposed Bylaw Amendments and/or Resolutions. Any group of members planning on proposing a Bylaw amendment or Resolution should reach out to mscheuermann@aana.com for assistance.
The deadline for submission of a proposed bylaw amendment or resolution for the B&R Hearing is Monday, April 20, 5 p.m. CT. The session will be recorded and posted for members who cannot attend the live session.
May 11, 2025 - Deadline for submission of final version of a proposed bylaw amendment or resolution.
July 2025 – Official posting of Business Meeting agenda and proposed amendments and/or resolutions.
August 9, 2025 – onsite Bylaws and Resolutions Hearing (Nashville, TN)
August 11, 2025 – Hybrid Business Meeting (onsite in Nashville, TN and Virtual)
EUC Policy Applied for 2024 and 2025 Performance Periods
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances (EUC) policy will be automatically applied to Merit-based Incentive Program System (MIPS)-eligible clinicians who were impacted by the recent wildfires in California counties designated as federal disaster areas. This means that performance categories will be re-weighted to 0% and CRNAs who participate in MIPS as individuals will receive a neutral payment adjustment for the 2026 and 2027 payment years. CRNAs who participate as part of a group can apply for an EUC Exception. Please see the 2024 EUC Policy Fact Sheet and 2025 EUC Policy Fact Sheet for more information.
Revised Infection Control Chapter for The Joint Commission Office-Based Surgery Standards Effective July 1, 2025
A fully revised "Infection Prevention and Control" (IC) chapter has been approved for all Joint Commission-accredited office-based surgery (OBS) practices, effective July 1, 2025. This revised chapter includes new and updated requirements and will replace the current IC requirements. This update follows the IC chapter rewrite already implemented for critical access hospitals and hospitals. The goal is to help organizations build a strong framework for infection control activities while removing non-value-added requirements. These changes align with The Joint Commission's initiative to simplify requirements and provide more meaningful evaluations. Find the updated standards here.
MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
Advancing Anesthesia Care in Laos: A CRNA’s Global Mission to Educate Nurse Anesthetists
Richard Henker, PhD, CRNA, FAAN, FAANA, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing in the Department of Nurse Anesthesia, has dedicated much of his career to improving anesthesia care in underserved regions around the world.
Henker’s path to global volunteer work began in an unexpected way. He said he always wanted to do global work, but after being diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma in his late thirties, he found renewed motivation in that mission. His colleagues encouraged him to travel to Cambodia, where he began his work with Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO). From there, he traveled to other countries like Belize, Bhutan, and Laos to coordinate nurse anesthesia programs. Read more.
CRNA Represents AANA on ACS Committee on Trauma Rural Advisory Council
Jennifer Chastek, DNAP, CRNA, ARNP, represents AANA on the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma Rural Advisory Council (RAC). The RAC’s work focuses on refining and improving standards for rural trauma care. As a valued member of the RAC, Dr. Chastek contributes her expertise as a frontline rural trauma care provider in a state-designated Level IV trauma center. She provides anesthesia services to several critical access hospitals in Northeastern Iowa and sits on many medical staff committees, including trauma review panels. Dr. Chastek’s special interests include rural trauma care, systems improvement, and evidence-based practice projects.
CRNA Reappointed to the AAAHC Medicare Committee
Debra A. Barber, DNP, CRNA, FAANA has been selected to serve on the 2025 Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) Expert Content Committee – Medicare Deemed Status after serving on this committee in 2024. Barber has over 30 years of experience in various healthcare settings, including cardiology, pediatrics, ambulatory surgery, and independent practice. Her extensive background will continue to be a valuable asset to the committee. AAAHC’s Expert Content Committees play a vital role in ensuring quality improvement in patient care. These committees help develop evidence-based standards that reflect current best practices, ultimately aiming to enhance patient safety and outcomes.
The following is an FEC required legal notification for CRNA-PAC. Gifts to political action committees are not tax deductible. Contributions to CRNA-PAC are for political purposes. All contributions to CRNA-PAC are voluntary. You may refuse to contribute without reprisal. The guidelines are merely suggestions. You are free to contribute more or less than the guidelines suggest and the association will not favor or disadvantage you by reason of the amount contributed or the decision not to contribute. Federal law requires CRNA-PAC to use its best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and the name of the employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in a calendar year. Each contributor must be a US Citizen.
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