CSA Announces Next Steps in Opt-Out Dispute

SAN MATEO, Calif., April 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Society of Anesthesiologists (CSA) has, along with its partner, the California Medical Association (CMA), decided to request a review by the California Supreme Court in CSA and CMA v. Schwarzenegger. This course of action follows the March 15, 2012 decision by the California Court of Appeal to affirm the December 27, 2010 decision of the Superior Court that California law does not require physician supervision of nurse anesthetists.

The CSA believes that the appellate decision is flawed and should be overturned because issues of substance brought before the court were not addressed.

A Supreme Court decision has the potential for far-reaching implications for the citizens of California and beyond. The question is whether or not physician supervision of advanced practice nurses should be preserved. How is the imperative "that nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training" to be balanced against protecting the safety of the public from potential degradation in the quality of care rendered by practitioners who are less educated and trained than are physicians?

Furthermore, as instructed by the courts to look to the legislature for clarification and relief, the CSA and CMA are contemplating a variety of potential legislative remedies and initiatives.

The CSA also urges medical staffs, for reasons of patient safety, to consider establishing bylaws that require physician supervision of nurses, an option described in the federal opt-out regulations.

The California Society of Anesthesiologists is a physician organization dedicated to promoting the highest standards of the profession of anesthesiology, to fostering excellence through continuing medical education, and to serving as an advocate for anesthesiologists and their patients. For more information about the California Society of Anesthesiologists, please visit http://www.csahq.org.

Contact:

Merrin McGregor
650.345.5207
[email protected]

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SOURCE California Society of Anesthesiologists