ASA Commends CMS for Maintaining Physician Supervision Safety Standard and Expresses Concern Regarding Proposed Changes to Hospital Governing Bodies

ASA provided feedback to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to a proposed rule "Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Part II—Regulatory Provisions to Promote Program Efficiency, Transparency, and Burden Reduction."  ASA thanked CMS for maintaining the physician supervision safety standard for anesthesia care and noted that "substituting nurses for doctors would significantly decrease patient safety and quality of care."

ASA has concern about a provision that would remove the requirement that a medical staff member be on a hospital's governing body.  ASA stated that "in order to properly address patient safety and health concerns at the hospital level, it is essential to have a medical staff member who understands clinical concerns within the hospital’s governing body."