One of the proposed sections in the CMS fee schedule will allow certified registered nurse anesthetists to practice chronic pain management, and the ASA maintains this is not a wise decision.
The rule is scheduled to be issued as a final rule with comment period. Most of its provisions will be finalized as of Jan. 1, 2013, but some provisions will be subject to further comments. It is unclear if the chronic pain proposal will be one of these provisions.
The ASA will continue to monitor the situation for necessary further action in its opposition.
More Articles on Anesthesia:
Jury Awards Patient $550k After Botched Peripheral Nerve Block
Dr. Terence Robertson Joins Bothwell Regional Health Center
Data on Older Anesthesiologists Could Prepare for Future Under Supply
