November 25, 2024

Dear Colleagues,

This Thursday is Thanksgiving, a day to gather with friends and family and reflect on our lives with gratitude.  

As members of the AANA Board of Directors, we are so lucky and grateful to be a part of this profession, and we are especially thankful for you, our extraordinary community of CRNAs, RRNAs, and our new RN members.  

Your support of the AANA through your membership allows us to advocate for CRNAs at every level and ensure the future of our profession remains strong. Thank you for standing with us and your colleagues. 

We also want to extend special thanks to those of you who contribute to the CRNA-PAC and the AANA Foundation. Your generosity enables us to champion the interests of our profession on Capitol Hill, fund critical research, and support educational opportunities for the next generation of CRNAs.  

This Thanksgiving, we are especially grateful for the exceptional care you provide to patients across the country, the leadership you demonstrate in your workplaces and communities, and for the honor of choosing us to serve on your Board of Directors. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Sincerely, 

The AANA Board of Directors 

IN THIS ISSUE

• AANA’s Calling Out of VA for Inaction to Correct the Record Prompts Agency Response and Offer for a Meeting 
  
  

• December 10: CRNA-PAC Post Election Wrap up Webinar

• Oregon Trauma Center Rules Ensure Access to Care for Patients  

• AANA Presents at National Conference of State Legislatures Meeting 

• AANA Recognizes National Rural Health Day, Calls for Better Care and Access for Rural Communities  

• Medicare Agency Issues Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule for 2025  

• Medicare Agency Issues Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System Final Rule for 2025 

• AANA Honors Our Nation’s Veterans, Supports Better Care and Greater Access to Healthcare in VA 

• Nominations Now Open to Serve as an AANA Elected Leader in MY26 

• Candidates Sought: Delegate to the Education Committee 

ADVOCACY UPDATES

AANA’s Calling Out of VA for Inaction to Correct the Record Prompts Agency Response and Offer for a Meeting

AANA’s calling out in a press statement the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) inaction has prompted a formal response back from the agency and an offer for an in-person with the agency. AANA’s press statement had urged VA Under Secretary Shereef Elnahal to correct his inaccurate and troubling statement about the need for CRNAs to be supervised by physician anesthesiologists during questioning during a House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs hearing examining the Administration and the VA. AANA had sent a letter to Dr. Elnahal on September 16 and then sent a follow up letter in October 29 urging a formal response and correction for the record regarding his inaccurate statement. The communication back from the VA indicated that this was not a new policy pronouncement and had extended an offer for an in-person meeting. AANA is working with VA to schedule this meeting to gain further clarification and to advance autonomous practice in the VA.  

December 10: CRNA-PAC Post Election Wrap up Webinar

AANA President Jan Setnor, MSN, CRNA, Col. (Ret), USAFR, NC; CRNA PAC Chair Tim Johnson, CRNA, APRN; and members from the Federal & State Government Affairs team are hosting a post-election webinar. We will assess key races and the overall impact of the 2024 elections on AANA’s legislative priorities. All AANA members are invited to join on December 10 at 8:00 pm ET and are strongly encouraged to contribute to CRNA-PAC. We look forward to seeing you there. Register here.  

Oregon Trauma Center Rules Ensure Access to Care for Patients

The Oregon Health Authority/Public Health Division proposed amendments to the state trauma center rules in August 2024, intended to update and align the rules with the current version of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma Standards (ACS standards). The proposed rules included a provision that exceeded both current Oregon rules and ACS standards in proposing to require that Level III trauma centers must have a “Board-certified or board-eligible anesthesiologist” as liaison. The Oregon Association of Nurse Anesthetists submitted comments, and the rules were subsequently amended and adopted in October 2024 allowing CRNAs to remain eligible to serve as trauma liaisons in Level III trauma centers. Maintaining the ability of CRNAs to serve in clinical roles in facilities is critically important, and the AANA will continue to work closely with states to ensure that CRNA practice is not restricted at the facility level.  

AANA Presents at National Conference of State Legislatures Meeting

Last month, State Government Affairs staff presented at the National Conference of State Legislatures Base Camp.  The presentation was titled “State Regulation of Health Professional Scope of Practice,” and staff discussed how CRNAs are regulated across the states. The National Conference of State Legislatures serves America’s 50 states, commonwealths, territories, and the District of Columbia. It is the largest bipartisan organization for state legislators and state legislative staff.  

AANA Recognizes National Rural Health Day, Calls for Better Care and Access for Rural Communities

As often the sole provider of anesthesia care to rural communities, CRNAs and the AANA understand the unique challenges rural communities face to get and stay healthy. On November 21, National Rural Health Day 2024, AANA honored the community-minded focus of CRNAs/nurse anesthesiologists and other healthcare professionals in rural America. Since 2010, the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health set aside the third Thursday of every November to showcase the efforts of rural healthcare providers and other stakeholders. Read the AANA Press Release. 

Medicare Agency Issues Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule for 2025

On November 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)Medicare Agency officially published a preview of the 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final Rules. Medicare anesthesia payment for CRNAs and physician anesthesiologists continues to face cuts, and this is primarily due to statutory budget neutrality requirements and payment changes that incentivize primary care. CMS finalized the CY 2025 national anesthesia conversion factor (CF) at $20.3178. which is down by 2.2% from the previous year’s CF of $20.7739. The regular physician CF for CY 2025 is finalized at $32.3456. AANA continues to work with various coalitions on improving Medicare fee schedule payment in Congress and with CMS.  

Medicare Agency Issues Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System Final Rule for 2025

On November 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment (HOPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment Systems and Quality Reporting Programs final rules. The HOPPS is significant because it reimburses hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers for outpatient services, and also includes policies that could have implications for CRNAs. As part of these final rules, CMS is finalizing its proposal to include a new Condition of Participation (CoP) for hospitals and CAHs for obstetrical services but does not mention anesthesia specifically. In preamble to the rules, CMS acknowledges AANA’s comments to not refer to the 2019 Levels of Maternal Care (LoMC) published American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) 2019 Levels of Maternal Care when developing sub-regulatory guidance, but states that they are not mandating a specific set of standards. 

AANA Honors Our Nation’s Veterans, Supports Better Care and Greater Access to Healthcare in VA

The AANA joined the nation on Veterans Day honoring and thanking the nation’s military veterans for their bravery and service to our country. 

Military CRNAs/nurse anesthesiologists are the primary providers of anesthesia care in the U.S. military and often the sole providers of anesthesia in austere environments such as at forward operating bases.  However, the safe, high-quality anesthesia care our military members receive from CRNAs is not as accessible when they return home as veterans. Read more. 

SIGNIFICANT NEWS

Nominations Now Open to Serve as an AANA Elected Leader in MY26

Nominations for the AANA 2025 Election (Membership Year 2026 term) are being accepted until  January 15, 2025. Nominations may be made by a state association, or members may nominate another member or themselves. Voting is open from May 13 to May 27, 2025 (noon CT).

Open Positions: 

• President-elect (1-year term) 

• Vice President (1-year term) 

• Treasurer (1-year term)  

• Five Directors (2-year term) 

• Three Leadership Identification Committee members (2-year term) 

• Two Bylaws and Resolutions Committee members (2-year term) 

To make a nomination: Access the State Association Nomination Form or the Member/Self-Nomination Form.  

To learn more: Visit the AANA Election Center.  

Candidates Sought: Delegate to the Education Committee 

The Education Committee has two delegates who each serve two-year terms. One delegate is elected every year at the Assembly of Didactic and Clinical Educators (ADCE) in February. Delegates must be CRNAs who spend at least 50% of their time in the didactic and/or clinical instruction of nurse anesthesia students at the time of application. During their tenure on the committee, delegates must: 

1. Be continuously involved in the didactic and/or clinical instruction of nurse anesthesiology residents. 
   
   
2. Attend ADCE and AANA Annual Congress during both years of their term.
    
3. Attend Education Committee meetings and conference calls for the two-year term which begins immediately following the AANA Annual Congress in the year elected. 

Applications are due by December 17, 2024, please email materials to education@aana.com. Please review delegate criteria prior to applying. 

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.