On Jan. 8, legislation was introduced in the Virginia House of Delegates that would eliminate supervision requirements for certified registered nurse anesthetists.
It would allow CRNAs to practice without direct supervision, instead allowing them to practice in consultation with a doctor of medicine, osteopathy, podiatry or dentistry, and in accordance with regulations jointly promulgated by the state's board of medicine and its board of nursing.
Currently, 23 states and the District of Columbia, allow CRNAs to practice without the direct supervision of a physician.
CRNAs represent more than 80% of rural anesthesia providers, administering more than 50 million anesthetics annually to patients in the U.S.