Here are four recent milestones, updates or moves by certified registered nurse anesthetists groups or programs in the last month, as reported by Becker’s:
1. Sacramento, Calif.-based UC Davis Health is training UC Davis Fire Department personnel on the “i-gel,” an advanced airway device. CRNAs at UC Davis led the training, which included classroom instruction and hands-on simulation.
2. The Decatur (Ill.) Memorial Hospital Nurse Anesthesia Program marked its 60th anniversary Sept. 22. Founded in 1955 by a group of local anesthesiologists, the program has trained more than 500 CRNAs who have gone on to serve patients across Central Illinois and beyond.
3. The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology has filed an appeal in a ruling that dismissed claims of payers unlawfully paying CRNAs less than physician anesthesiologists for providing the same services.
The initial complaint was filed against HHS in September 2024, and claimed the agency had failed to enforce a provision of the ACA that prohibits discrimination against providers based solely on their licensure.
4. CRNAs were among more than 600 Kaiser Permanente employees involved in a one-day strike that took place across multiple Kaiser Permanente facilities in Northern California Sept. 8.
The strike involved more than 600 certified registered nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives across more than 20 hospitals. Their strike surrounded negotiations over issues including “unsafe staffing, burnout and the risk to patient care.”