Leadership Meets

The leadership of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) recently met in Chicago to select a consulting firm to assist in facilitating future dialogue. ASA President Roger Litwiller, MD, President-Elect Eugene Sinclair, MD, and Executive Director Ron Bruns met with AANA President Tom McKibban, CRNA, President-Elect Frank Maziarski, CRNA, and Executive Director Jeff Beutler, CRNA.

After interviewing several management firms, the group unanimously selected ThoughtBridge of Cambridge, MA. For 15 years ThoughtBridge consultants have served as advisors, trainers and facilitators for hundreds of organizations and individuals on a worldwide basis.

Both the AANA and ASA have the following objectives in mind:

• Development of a long-term respectful relationship.
  
  
• Development of enhanced communication lines to improve future dialogue on a regular basis.
  
  
• Collaboration on issues of mutual interest that would be beneficial to the associations’ members and their members’ patients.

Pictured from left to right are: ASA Executive Director Ron Bruns, ASA President-Elect Eugene P. Sinclair, ASA President Roger W. Litwiller, AANA President Tom L. McKibban, AANA President-Elect Frank Maziarski, and AANA Executive Director Jeff Beutler.

A specific process and meeting dates will be established during the coming months to work on these and other mutually agreed upon objectives. We will keep the membership fully informed on the process as well as the results of any meetings as they develop.

The leadership of both organizations expressed optimism for the opportunity to begin this important dialogue. No time lines were established other than the joint feeling that the process will begin soon and could continue for a significant period of time.