According to the release, hospitals are now required to “establish policies and procedures, based on nationally recognized guidelines that address whether specific clinical situations involved anesthesia versus analgesia,” as well as “the minimum qualifications and supervision requirements for each category of practitioner who is permitted to provide analgesia services.”
The revised guidelines follow lobbying efforts by the ASA to make substantial changes to the IGs. The guidelines revise major sections of the Dec. 2009 CMS Hospital Interpretative Guidelines and are effective immediately.
Read the ASA news release on epidural physician supervision requirements.
Read more on anesthesia:
–Case Study: 5 Ways to Maximize Anesthesia Administration in Your Surgery Center
–ASA “Extremely Troubled” About Removal of Sodium Thiopental From Market
–Anesthesiologist on the Move: Dr. John B. Carter Joins OU Physicians
