Wisconsin Governor Vetoes Dangerous APRN Legislation – Protects Patients in the Badger State

CHICAGO – The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) commends Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers for his leadership and dedication to patient safety demonstrated by his veto of Senate Bill 394 (SB 394), a measure that would have significantly eliminated requirements for physician collaboration with all advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), including nurse anesthetists.

“This bill would have confused the roles of physicians and nurses and actively dismantled the care team model that makes Wisconsin a leader in patient care by allowing nurse anesthetists with far less education and training than physicians to provide anesthesia care and pain management without physician oversight,” said ASA President Randall M. Clark, M.D., FASA.

After careful consideration and recognizing the important role nurses play in Wisconsin’s health care system, Gov. Evers vetoed the measure because he opposes “altering current licensure standards for APRNs, allowing practices functionally equivalent to those of physicians or potentially omitting physicians from a patient’s care altogether notwithstanding significant differences in required education, training, and experience.” His full message can be found here.

The Wisconsin Society of Anesthesiologists (WSA) along with other medical professionals in the state voiced their strong concerns about SB 394 with lawmakers and Gov. Evers throughout the legislative process, emphasizing that patients deserve to have physicians involved in their healthcare.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 55,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care every patient deserves.

For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about the role physician anesthesiologists play in ensuring patient safety, visit asahq.org/madeforthismoment. Like ASA on Facebook and follow ASALifeline on Twitter.

 

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