Healthcare reform will end the Profession of Anesthesiology

DRBNMD wrote:

<quoted text>
You're making me so glad I quit the U.S. system and went to work in another country. Took a pay cut, and a big raise in dignity. Well worth it!

Todd wrote:

I was almost killed by a CRNA in a rural hospital where they were trying to save money and refused to hire a knowledgeable anesthesiologist (am MD that is). CRNA's simply are unable to think about physiology and pharmacology unless it follows a prescribed algorithm. If anyone doubts that, they should get a CRNA and an anesthesiologist in a room together with a panel of anesthesia experts and start asking each one of them questions and analyzing their replies. When my case went to court, it was clear the CRNA was clueless.

Mike wrote:

Part of my job is to credential CRNA's and MDA's; I review their CV's, education, disciplinary actions and write job descriptions. There is no way that a nurse (CRNA) is equal to a physician (MDA). Not in education, qualifications or in any other way for that matter. My wife is a NP and a damned good one, so I have no axe to grind with nurses. But, anesthesia is the domain of physicians not of nurses. The idea of CRNA's administering anesthesia without strict MD supervision is dangerous. I have never spoken with anyone (other than nurses) who would want their anesthesia to be delivered by a CRNA rather than aby a physician. I'm not saying that CRNA's don;t have a role, but when they try to equate the profession of being a CRNA with that of a MDA, it sounds silly to me and to most educated people.
I love the comment above: "CRNA's are good at stool sitting until something goes wrong with the patient. Thank god a doctor can take over and ensure the Nurse has a good "outcome". This should be made into a sign and posted in every O.R. in the USA.

Guy Kuo wrote:

Anesthesiology is a critical care specialty in which patient safety depends on maintaining the quality of care givers. It is a mentally and physically grueling specialty that demands perfection each and every time. If you want your patients to be at ease, you also have to do it in a seemingly effortless manner. From outside the profession, it is easy to be fooled by allusions to the anesthesiologist/patient relationship as merely provider and customer. That is simply not what goes through the minds of a quality anesthesiologist in a healthy practice environment. A good anesthesiologist focuses their entire attention on the patient's medical condition and how to most safely and most comfortably convey you through the dangers of medical procedures. Professional satisfaction comes from knowing you gave superlative care AND that you feel fairly compensated. Both needs must be met to have sustainable quality.
In my practice, we isolate the individual payment issues from the point of care. If you come into the OR or go into labor, we take care of you. We don't have to think about payment. The billing office takes care of that separately. We take care of you, the person. It does not matter if you are privately insured, on medicare, medicaid, or indigent. You are treated the same way. Concerns about getting paid would be a dangerous distraction. We learn your medical issues, formulate safe anesthetic strategies, tell you about your choices, agree upon a path, compassionately reassure you, and nimbly conduct you through a minefield of dangers during a highly compressed time span. You really should not be worrying about other things. When we do our job right, you never realize how much effort and skill is being brought to your benefit.
I can focus on taking care of you because I do not PRESENTLY have to worry about whether or not you can pay. I know that on average I can afford to take care of each person. It does not matter if you are rich, famous, well insured, on medicare, on medicaid, or indigent. I treat you the same way. We do quite a bit of care at reduced rate or no pay. That is part of being a physician. I am able to do so because I know I'll be okay at the end of the month.
The present health care reform plan would gravely injure the anesthesia specialty because it threatens to move reimbursements far down to the less than market value medicare rates....(continued)

I dislike ignorant people wrote:

<quoted text>
Hello Mike, I have a question for you. If there is no way that a CRNA can do the job of a MD, then please explain to me how anesthesia came to be a discipline that was originated by NURSES??!!! MD's did not come into the profession of anesthesia until much later on.

Judged:

1

MKMDK wrote:

<quoted text>
Yeah and lets let PAs and ARNPs run all primary care clinics. That will save money too. Better yet, they can do surgery as well. This is insane and makes me sick to my stomach. How dare you recommend eliminating a specialty that provided the groundwork for your current career? Maybe I'll open a 10 month program and start training recent high school grads how to administer anesthesia. We'll pay them 50K and eliminate CRNA's. That will save money!

crna are techs wrote:

<quoted text>
and surgery was done by barbers.....nurses aren't anything but "physician extenders"..and that's a dangerous leap.....keep insisting that crna are wannabee anesthesia providers...you do so at the patients peril........the public is finally waking up to how dangerous the crna lobby is.

Medical Student NYC wrote:

<quoted text>
To answer your question, nurse anesthetists have very little understanding in the physiology of the human body. I am not trying to be over critical, just honest. If anything goes wrong intraoperastively, they are absolutely clueless. This is especially true with the elderly and children who can quickly crash on the operating table. Do you really think a nurse anesthetist can learn in 2 years what it takes an anesthesiologist to learn in 8?