Freedom Caucus chairman asks Trump administration for permanent regulatory relief for nurse anesthetists

Rep. Andy Biggs called on the Trump administration Monday to allow certified registered nurse anesthetists to provide care without physician supervision, thereby making permanent the regulatory relief granted early in the pandemic.

Biggs, an Arizona Republican who chairs the conservative Freedom Caucus, said in a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma that nurse anesthetists have the training needed to ensure basic care without bogging down physicians with supervision duties.

"Right now, our country needs every available medical practitioner to meet the challenges that COVID-19 has brought, and CRNAs have more than met the call, serving in some of the most critically impacted areas of the country, including New York City," Biggs wrote in the letter, obtained by the Washington Examiner."Their vital work should not be restricted even after the coronavirus crisis ends."

"If CRNAs are able to meet a global pandemic head on, they will undoubtedly be more than capable to handle any other medical challenges that may arise in routine settings," he added.

Verma announced the regulatory cuts for nurse anesthetists on March 30. The change allowed all federal nurses to "function to the fullest extent allowed by the state, and free up physicians from the supervisory requirement." She said the change allowed hospitals to "expand the capacity of both CRNAs and physicians" while hospitals faced staffing shortages during the pandemic.

At the time of the change, American Association of Nurse Anesthetists President Kate Jansky praised the decision to remove "burdensome restrictions" from nurse anesthetists. AANA CEO Randall Moore had met with President Trump in the weeks before the change was made.

"Facilities need maximum flexibility in utilizing CRNAs and other advanced practice registered nurses to manage and staff intensive care units, operating rooms, critical care, and other units as patient care requires," Jansky said.

Biggs argued that a permanent change allowing nurse anesthetists to provide care without physician oversight could also drive down costs and increase access to healthcare for more families.

"You would be encouraging the expansion of a highly skilled healthcare workforce at a time when limited access to care and artificially high costs are keeping too many Americans across the nation from receiving the care they need," he wrote.