“The tragic deaths at South Florida plastic surgery clinics have appropriately prompted Senator Flores to push for more regulations at these types of facilities to save lives. While we applaud the Senator’s efforts to protect patients, we are extremely concerned about a provision in her legislation that would impose restrictions on Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) that are not required in any other healthcare setting or state law.
“Despite the good intentions of the bill, we believe that the provision related to CRNAs is a solution in search of a problem. Medical examiners’ reports show that none of the unfortunate deaths that occurred at the clinics in question were related to anesthesia. CRNAs are extensively educated and trained, and numerous studies show that anesthesia care is equally safe regardless of whether it is provided by a CRNA working alone, an anesthesiologist working alone or a CRNA working with an anesthesiologist.
“Several committee members also expressed their concerns about the CRNA provision in the legislation. We look forward to working with Senator Flores and her colleagues to address these concerns.”
