October 19, 2026

Dear Colleagues, 

In this message, we want to recognize several recent events that highlight the strength, dedication, and engagement of our AANA community.

Your advocacy makes a difference

We are especially proud of the extraordinary response to AANA’s recent grassroots advocacy campaign urging U.S. senators to support a letter calling on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to eliminate the outdated and unnecessary Medicare physician supervision requirement for CRNAs/nurse anesthesiologists.

AANA members sent nearly 19,000 letters to U.S. senators — thousands more than in any previous AANA grassroots campaign. This week, AANA President Tracy Young, MSNA, MBA, CRNA, and AANA staff, including CEO Bill Bruce, MBA, CAE, will meet with CMS officials, and pointing to this level of engagement will reinforce our message and demonstrate widespread support for meaningful change.

To everyone who participated, thank you. Your advocacy is making a difference.

Connecting with members at the president’s first town hall

We also would like to thank all the members who joined President Tracy Young for his first virtual town hall on Oct. 14.

President Young answered questions from attendees, including those submitted in advance and during the event, on topics such as advocacy, AANA’s new strategic plan, artificial intelligence, education, anesthesiologist assistants, and member engagement. For those who were unable to join us, here’s a recap.

Special thanks go to AANA Education Committee Chair Reed Halterman, DNP, CRNA, for moderating the discussion, and to AANA CEO Bill Bruce, MBA, CAE, for participating.

President Young plans to continue these conversations through quarterly town halls throughout his presidency. The next town hall will be held on December 8 at 7 p.m. Central Time. Learn more and register here. We hope even more of you will join us.

Celebrating World Anesthesia Day

On Oct. 16, AANA joined the global anesthesia community in celebrating World Anesthesia Day, an annual opportunity to recognize advances in anesthesia and the importance of safe, affordable and equitable anesthesia care.

This year, AANA’s “With You Every Step” campaign highlighted the essential role CRNAs/nurse anesthesiologists have throughout the patient experience — from answering questions and easing concerns to delivering safe, compassionate anesthesia care.

We especially thank the CRNAs/nurse anesthesiologists, resident registered nurse anesthetists (RRNAs) and registered nurses (RNs) from across the country who shared their inspiring stories on Instagram and Facebook. We are proud to celebrate the extraordinary work you do every day to care for patients and strengthen our communities.

As always, we are grateful to all of our members for your continued involvement, advocacy, and commitment to the future of nurse anesthesiology.

Sincerely,

The AANA Board of Directors

In This Issue

• AANA Meets with Governors’ Senior Staff

• CMS Publishes the Transparency in Coverage Final Rule Addressing Key Concerns Raised by AANA

• Make Your Voice Heard Before Election Day

• Hidden in Plain Sight: The Critical Role Behind Safe Surgery

• “A Labor of Love”: How One CRNA Saved a Nurse Anesthesiology Program

Advocacy Updates

AANA Meets with Governors’ Senior Staff

AANA’s State Government Affairs (SGA) staff attended the Democratic Governor Association’s Senior Staff Retreat, from Oct. 15-16, in Nashville. The meeting featured chiefs of staff, senior policy advisors, and other decision makers for Democratic governors. SGA staff used the opportunity to push for removing unnecessary restrictions on CRNA practice, such as opting out from federal supervision requirements, and educated staff on the importance of maintaining parity in reimbursement for anesthesia services. Later this year, SGA staff will be attending annual conferences for both the Democratic and Republican governors. 

CMS Publishes the Transparency in Coverage Final Rule Addressing Key Concerns Raised by AANA

On Oct. 5, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in conjunction with the Department of Labor and the Department of the Treasury, announced the release of the Transparency in Coverage final rule which updates healthcare price transparency data requirements for health plan and health insurance issuers. AANA also attended the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) event on Oct. 5, where the final rule was announced and discussed in detail.

AANA previously submitted comments on the proposed rule urging CMS to ensure that the validation process used to identify and exclude unlikely provider-to-service mappings accounts for the full scope of CRNA practice and the evolving nature of health care delivery, while safeguarding appropriate reimbursement for CRNA-provided pain management services.

The final rule makes several changes intended to improve the usability and transparency of health care price information, including:

1. Exclusion of unlikely provider-rate combinations: Plans and issuers may exclude provider-rate combinations that are unlikely to be reimbursed based on provider specialty, using their internal provider taxonomy or other rules used during claims adjudication. These exclusions must be consistent with applicable law, including provider nondiscrimination requirements per Public Health Service Act §2706(a).
   
   
2. New Taxonomy File: Plans and issuers must publish a new machine-readable Taxonomy File describing the specialty-based rules used to determine which provider-service combinations are eligible for reimbursement. The file will pair billing codes with provider specialty codes derived from the NUCC Health Care Provider Taxonomy Code Set and will be updated quarterly.
   
   
3. New Utilization File: for each In-network Rate File, plans and issuers must publish a new machine-readable Utilization File which includes all providers who have submitted and received reimbursement for at least one claim for a covered item or service for the most recent plan or policy year ending six months before the posting of the file.
   
   
4. Updated transparency files: The final rule moves the In-network Rate File and Allowed Amount File to quarterly publication and makes additional changes to improve the organization and usability of rate information. The Utilization File will continue to be updated annually.

Most of the new requirements will take effect in 2027, with the Taxonomy File and other contextual file requirements generally becoming applicable later in 2027. AANA will continue to monitor implementation of the final rule and engage as needed to support implementation that appropriately reflects the full scope of CRNA practice and promotes fair and appropriate reimbursement for CRNA-provided services.

Make Your Voice Heard Before Election Day

Election day is less than a month away, and now is the time to help elect/re-elect CRNAs and CRNA champions to office and to get ready to make your voice heard at the polls. Here are some resources to make it easy to make your voice heard.

• Visit our CRNAdvocacy Action Center to register to vote, check your voter registration status, view candidates who will appear on your ballot, and look at your options for voting in person or absentee on election day or during early voting. 
  
  
• Contribute to the bipartisan CRNA-PAC. As the largest PAC in nursing and the fifth largest healthcare professional association PAC, CRNA-PAC works every day to educate candidates for office about CRNAs and to elect CRNA champions to office. CRNA-PAC is 100% funded by personal contributions from AANA members. Support our efforts today at https://crna-pac.com/pledge/.  
  
  
• Support CRNA champions directly through Nursing Votes. A project of CRNA-PAC, Nursing Votes leverages the political power of individual CRNAs and other nurses. Nursing Votes is a secure direct giving platform that empowers all nurses to support nurses and pro-nursing candidates running for office. Through this platform, you can decide which A+ candidates you would like to support directly, and filter candidates by office, party, and more. Learn more at candidates.nursingvotes.org today!

Significant News

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Critical Role Behind Safe Surgery

In an article published in Education and Career News, AANA President Tracy Young, MSNA, MBA, CRNA, highlights the essential role that CRNAs/nurse anesthesiologists play in delivering safe anesthesia care and supporting patients before, during, and after surgery. Read the article. 

Member Highlights

“A Labor of Love”: How One CRNA Saved a Nurse Anesthesiology Program

In 2010, Monika Feeney, DNAP, MS, CRNA, was in the OR when she learned the nurse anesthesiology program she led would be shut down. 

Then known as the Southwest Missouri School of Anesthesia for Nurse Anesthetists, the program had been around since 1952. It had trained generations of CRNAs/nurse anesthesiologists, including Feeney herself. By then, she had been program director for only a few months, having taken the role in 2009. She initially turned down the position, preferring to stay in a clinical role. 

“They asked me if I wanted the job and I said no seven times,” she said. 

After hearing the news, she went upstairs to her office, where a small museum display of old anesthesia equipment was kept. Looking at it, she decided she couldn’t let the program disappear. Read more. 

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.