ASA applauds D.C. Department of Health’s rejection of misleading “nurse anesthesiologist” phrase

Following strong advocacy by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and the D.C. Society of Anesthesiologists (DCSA), the D.C. Department of Health removed the misleading phrase “nurse anesthesiologist” from its proposed nurse anesthetist regulations.

ASA and DCSA submitted formal comments on both original and revised draft nurse anesthetist regulations, demonstrating that the phrase conflicts with long-standing D.C. law, exceeds the Board’s authority to redefine professional titles, and is inconsistent with the titles authorized for nurse anesthetists under District law. Their advocacy made clear that “nurse anesthesiologist” is not a legally recognized professional title anywhere in the United States and serves only to confuse patients by blending nursing and physician terminology.

The Department’s decision to remove the phrase is a significant victory for patient transparency and reinforces existing D.C. law, which prohibits non-physicians from using medical specialty titles. Earlier versions of the proposed regulations improperly included the made-up term despite its lack of legal recognition.

ASA commends the D.C. Department of Health for recognizing the misleading nature of the phrase and taking action to protect patients from confusion. By removing “nurse anesthesiologist” from the regulations, the Department affirmed that nurse anesthetists in the District must use their proper, legally recognized title and may not mislead the public with terminology that combines nursing and physician titles.