More than 1,400 physicians have signed a petition against Arizona governor's decision to "opt out" of CMS' physician supervision requirement to allow nurse anesthetists to administer anesthesia without physician supervision, according to local news station KVOA.
Gov. Doug Ducey sent a letter to CMS March 23 notifying the agency about the change. Before the change, Arizona law required a physician or surgeon to oversee nurses when they administer anesthetics.
Since the change was made, a growing number of physicians are calling on Mr. Ducey to make the opt out temporary during the COVID-19 pandemic. Heidi Tavel, MD, a physician anesthesiologist and a member of the Physicians for Patient Protection, told KVOA that the decision was made without consulting the medical community.
However, Mr. Ducey said in his letter to CMS that his office consulted the executive directors of the Arizona Nursing Board and the Arizona Medical Board.
Other states have opted out of physician supervision on a temporary basis, but according to the report, Arizona is the first state to make it permanent since 2012.
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Editor's note: This article was updated Aug. 27 to correct inaccurate information. The change doesn't involve an executive order, but an opt-out letter to CMS. The previous version also inaccurately stated that the change affected physician anesthesiologists. We regret these errors.