Colorado has joined 15 other states in allowing certified registered nurse anesthetists to administer anesthesia without physician supervision, according to a Huffington Post report.
The decision was opposed by the Colorado Society of Anesthesiologists, who said the decision would put patients in danger.
"Patient safety is and must always be one of our highest priorities," Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter said in a statement Monday. "This decision upholds that core value while giving rural hospitals the flexibility they need to provide their rural patients with access to high-quality healthcare."
Read the Huffington Post report on Colorado's decision to opt out of the physician supervision rule.
Read more on the debate over appropriate anesthesia providers:
-President of AAN Lobbies for More States to Opt Out of CRNA Physician Supervision Requirement for Provision of Anesthesia
-AMA Calls Study of CRNAs as Sole Provider of Anesthesia Services "Flawed"
The decision was opposed by the Colorado Society of Anesthesiologists, who said the decision would put patients in danger.
"Patient safety is and must always be one of our highest priorities," Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter said in a statement Monday. "This decision upholds that core value while giving rural hospitals the flexibility they need to provide their rural patients with access to high-quality healthcare."
Read the Huffington Post report on Colorado's decision to opt out of the physician supervision rule.
Read more on the debate over appropriate anesthesia providers:
-President of AAN Lobbies for More States to Opt Out of CRNA Physician Supervision Requirement for Provision of Anesthesia
-AMA Calls Study of CRNAs as Sole Provider of Anesthesia Services "Flawed"