March 10, 2025

Dear Colleagues, 

As we continue working together to advance and protect our profession, we want to highlight a few important opportunities for engagement and advocacy. 

Apply to Serve on an AANA Committee 

Are you looking for a meaningful way to contribute to the future of our profession? Applications are open until April 30 to serve on an AANA Committee. As President-elect Jeff Molter points out, this is your chance to lend your voice, share your expertise, and help shape the future of our profession. Committees play a crucial role in advancing our mission, and we encourage you to apply and be part of this important work. Visit the AANA Committees webpage to learn more and apply.  

Join Us at the Mid-Year Assembly 

The Mid-Year Assembly is just around the corner, and we strongly urge you to attend this vital event. This gathering is an incredible opportunity to connect with fellow CRNAs, engage with policymakers, and advocate for the future of our practice. Your presence and voice are more important than ever. Don’t miss this chance to make an impact. Register today. 

Thank you for your continued dedication to our profession and AANA. We look forward to seeing many of you at the Mid-Year Assembly in D.C. on April 26-30, and working alongside you to advance our shared goals. 

Sincerely, 

The AANA Board of Directors 

Questions for the AANA Board of Directors 

If you have general questions for the Board of Directors, please reach out to them at: Board-of-Directors@aana.com 

 
To avoid multiple responses, the AANA Vice President will triage these inquiries and reply on behalf of the Board.

IN THIS ISSUE

• AANA Launches New CRNAdvocacy Action Center 

• Support Legislation Reversing Cuts to Medicare reimbursement 

• AANA Attends RGA & DGA Meetings 

• Healthcare Community Makes It Safer for 1.25 Million Health Workers To Seek Mental Health Care 

• Board Approves Updated Practice Document: Adding New Activities to Scope 

• A CRNA’s Non-Linear Path to Success 

ADVOCACY UPDATES

New CRNAdvocacy Action Center

We’re excited to launch AANA’s brand-new Action Center, your go-to hub for advocacy, empowering CRNAs and supporters to take action on key healthcare issues. Stay informed, connect with lawmakers, and make your voice heard with easy-to-use tools for grassroots engagement. Visit the CRNAdvocacy Action Center  today to get involved and drive meaningful change for nurse anesthesia and patient care! 

Support Legislation 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. 

Congress introduced the AANA-supported “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.

Please ask your U.S. representative to support this legislation and ensure that providers can continue to provide care to their constituents. Click here and follow the prompts to be connected with your Representative. 

AANA Attends RGA & DGA Meetings 

On February 20, AANA State Government Affairs staff attended receptions for the Republican Governor Association (RGA) and the Democratic Governors Association (DGA). The events were held in Washington, DC as part of the National Governors Association’s 2025 Winter Meeting. Nearly every U.S. Governor was in attendance. The receptions allowed SGA staff to speak with Governors and their staff about the important role CRNAs play in healthcare, in terms of increasing access for patients – especially in rural areas.  

Healthcare Community Makes It Safer for 1.25 Million Health Workers To Seek Mental Health Care

ALL IN: Wellbeing First for Healthcare, a national coalition led by the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, published significant progress in the healthcare community’s commitment to better support health workers’ mental health and wellbeing. As part of the coalition’s Wellbeing First Champion Challenge program, 43 licensure boards and 521 hospitals have verified their licensing or credentialing applications are free from intrusive mental health questions and stigmatizing language as of February 20, 2025. 

“Nurse anesthesiologists, like so many other healthcare providers and care teams face immense pressures in their work, and addressing mental health barriers is essential to supporting their wellbeing and ability to provide the highest quality care to their patients,” stated Jan Setnor, MSN, CRNA, Col. (Ret), USAFR, NC, president of the AANA. “The AANA is proud to champion and partner on initiatives like the Wellbeing First Champion Challenge by the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, which empowers our community to prioritize mental health, foster resilience and build a culture where seeking help is celebrated and encouraged.” Read more. 

SIGNIFICANT NEWS

CRNA Chronic Pain Management Specialists Play a Key Role in Mitigating the Opioid Crisis

CRNAs play a special role in reducing opioid dependency and helping to solve the opioid crisis.  Particularly in rural or resource-poor areas, CRNAs may be the only chronic pain specialists providing access to care.  AANA’s Chronic Pain Management Guidelines emphasize the importance of reducing the risk of opioid overdose and need for prescription opioids, which may lead to opioid use disorder. These guidelines outline considerations before initiating opioid therapy and stress the benefits of a multimodal approach to pain management. In addition, in 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated and expanded its Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain  — United States, 2022.  While use by pain management specialists is not the focus of the CDC guideline, this resource may help support clinical judgment and individualized, person-centered decision-making and care.    

Board Approves Updated Practice Document: Adding New Activities to Scope

The Adding New Activities and Specialty Clinical Practice to Individual CRNA Scope of Practice practice considerations have been updated and approved by the Board of Directors.  This resource is a tool for CRNAs assessing whether a procedure or technique falls within their anesthesia, sedation, pain management, or related CRNA scope.  

Updates include changes to the "AANA Resources," "Sample State Decision Analysis Resources" sections, and incorporating information from the CRNA Specialty Clinical Practice position statement, which has now been archived. Don’t forget to update this document in the print version of your manual.

MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS

A CRNA’s Non-Linear Path to Success

The journey Everett Moss II, DNP, CRNA, NRP, took to becoming a CRNA also known as nurse anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist, is as inspiring as it is unconventional. From starting his career as an Atlanta firefighter and emergency medical technician (EMT) to thriving in the nurse anesthesiology field, his story is a testament to resilience, purpose, and a passion for patient care. Read more. 

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