Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A shortage of anesthesiologists in Tennessee could have been addressed with legislation this year but it died in committee. Now, there is an effort to revive it.

Senate Bill 453 would have allowed professionals known as certified anesthesiologist assistants to practice in Tennessee, where they currently need state approval to work.

Kelli Ray, a certified anesthesiologist assistant and president of the Tennessee Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants, said she works as a team member in the operating room alongside a certified registered nurse anesthetist and a physician. She said assistants can already provide anesthesia during surgeries and other procedures in 20 states and legislative changes are being sought in others.

“Legislation just passed in Washington state this year to license CAAs, and there are many other states seeking to gain CAA licensure, such as Tennessee,” Ray observed. “We’re definitely a growing profession, and hope to be able to take care of patients in all 50 states one day.”

Some Tennessee certified registered nurse anesthetists opposed the bill to license certified anesthesiologist assistants, claiming they lack the comprehensive training of nurse anesthetists. Ray pointed out assistants complete an average of 2,500 clinical hours and administer more than 600 anesthetics by the time they graduate, much like their nurse anesthetist colleagues. The Tennessee Society of Anesthesiologists also supported the bill.

Dr. Louis Chemin III, physician anesthesiologist with Anesthesiology Consultants Exchange at Erlanger Health System in Chattanooga, said allowing assistants to practice in Tennessee could expand access to care and decrease health care costs and wait times for surgery.

“Health care costs would be reduced insomuch that an increase in full-time permanent providers in an area, would decrease the dependence on locum tenens providers,” Chemin noted. “These ‘locums’ providers are very costly.”

He is using the Latin term for someone fully qualified who fills in for another medical professional. Chemin added both assistants and nurse anesthetists are qualified to work in all clinical areas where anesthesia is provided, including cardiovascular, trauma, pediatric and outpatient operating rooms.