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Oppose HB 721/SB 1142 (Prohibited Acts of Healthcare Practitioners)

Posted over 4 years ago by Ana Paula Harwood

 

Please OPPOSE SB 1142! Tomorrow, 4/8 at 9 am, the bill is being heard in the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services. Again, As a Florida resident and constituent, I ask that you please oppose HB 721/SB 1142 (Prohibited Acts of Healthcare Practitioners).

 

SB 1142 prohibits healthcare practitioners from using the term “anesthesiologist” unless the practitioner is a licensed physician or dentist. These bills are overly restrictive, makes a regulatory professional issue into a legislative issue, removes an appeals process with the demand of immediate cease and desist with punitive action by the Department of Health leaving no room for investigation; furthermore, prevention of fraudulent medical credentials is already in the statutes linked here http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0458/Sections/0458.331.html and will lead to decreased transparency and great confusion. 

 

In 2019, the Florida Board of Nursing issued a Final Order allowing an individual Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (“CRNA”) to describe himself or his professional duties as “nurse anesthesiologist”.  Link: http://www.floridahealth.gov/licensing-and-regulation/declaratory/_documents/nursing/DOH-19-1500-DS.pdf   SB 1142 will overturn the board’s ruling. In the year 2017 the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals recognizes commercial free speech so dentists can market themselves as “dentist anesthesiologist” as it is “not misleading” this clearly suggests that the use of NURSE in front of anesthesiologist refers to a Nurse who has speciality training in anesthesiology. CRNA’s are Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, with specialized education, training and board certification in anesthesiology which fully qualifies ALL CRNA’s to administer anesthesia. Leading to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) to approve the term as a synonymous title descriptor to nurse anesthetist.  Link: https://www.aana.com/docs/default-source/marketing-aana-com-web-documents-(all)/crnas-we-are-the-answer.pdf sfvrsn=b310d913_4

 

Patients recognize the commonly-used terms “anesthesiology” and “anesthesiologist” as the practice of providing anesthesia and someone who provides anesthesia.  In fact, evidence from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (an association of physician anesthesiologists) found that 55% of the country does not recognize an “anesthesiologist” as a physician, leading physicians to adopt the descriptor of “physician anesthesiologist”.  Link:  https://www.nurseanesthesiologistinfo.com/research

In 2019, Ascend Perspectives conducted a national survey, 4,028 respondents were randomly selected from a demographically proportionate sample of registered voters in the United States. Results showed that by a 3:1 margin (58% to 18% states they recognized the difference between the two professions. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c61d4138155120325aebc52/t/5cba74be4192025ce45d9a2d/1555723456293/CRNA_NationalSurvey_Ascend_Revised_190404.pdf

 

Moreover, anesthesiologist assistants (AA) around the country are campaigning to identify themselves as “anesthetists”, to blurr the line between a DEPENDENTLY trained anesthesiology assistant (who must be directly supervised by a physician anesthesiologist) and an INDEPENDENTLY trained anesthesiology provider, CRNAs. 

 

Contrary to the purported purpose of the bills, the term “nurse anesthesiologist” provides greater transparency, removes confusion and recognizes CRNAs as fully qualified anesthesia providers. 

We ask that you OPPOSE HB 721/SB 1142 (Prohibited Acts of Healthcare Practitioners) since it would prohibit a CRNA from using this descriptor because it contains the term “anesthesiologist”, even though the Board of Nursing’s Order expressly requires use of the term “nurse” before “anesthesiologist.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Call these Senators to tell them to OPPOSE SB 1142 being heard Thursday 4/8 at 9 am

SB 1142 Title Protection Bill. Tell them you are their constituent when you live in their district! 

 

 

Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services

Chair:

Senator Aaron Bean (R)   850-487-5004  President Pro Tempore

Vice Chair:

Senator Ana Maria Rodriguez (R)  850-487-5039

 

 

  • Senator Ben Albritton 850-487-5026
  • Senator Loranne Ausley 850-487-5003
  • Senator Dennis Baxley (850) 487-5012
  • Senator Lori Berman (850) 487-5031
  • Senator Jim Boyd (850) 487-5021
  • Senator Randolph Bracy (850) 487-5011
  • Senator Jennifer Bradley (850) 487-5005
  • Senator Jeff Brandes (850) 487-5024
  • Senator Doug Broxson. (850) 487-5001
  • Senator Janet Cruz (850) 487-5018
  • Senator George Gainer (850) 487-5002
  • Senator Ileana Garcia (850) 487-5037
  • Senator Audrey Gibson (850) 487-5006
  • Senator Joe Gruters (850) 487-5023
  • Senator Ed Hooper (850) 487-5016
  • Senator Travis Hutson (850) 487-5007
  • Senator Debbie Mayfield (850) 487-5017
    • Majority (Republican) Leader
  • Senator Kathleen Passidomo (850) 487-5028
  • Senator Keith Perry (850) 487-5008
  • Senator Jason Pizzo (850) 487-5038
  • Senator Tina Polsky (850) 487-5029
  • Senator Bobby Powell (850) 487-5030
  • Senator Wilton Simpson (850) 487-5010
    • President
  • Senator Kelli Stargel (850) 487-5022
  • Senator Linda Stewart (850) 487-5013
  • Senator Annette Taddeo (850) 487-5040
  • Senator Perry Thurston (850) 487-5033
  • Senator Victor Torres (850) 487-5015
  • Senator Tom Wright (850) 487-5014

 

Link to find who your legislators are: https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/myrepresentative.aspx?fbclid=IwAR1V0wK_Tu4AYS1tieM4Ddb5C4HZ3ih1zAnNqwJ3V7pJAPGpi1kuSvbtBpg