Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1414493
41 NURSING SPOTLIGHT American Society of Anesthesiologists condemns AANA name change By Kelly Gooch A new name debuted by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists is confusing for patients, creates discord in the healthcare setting and amounts to medical title misappropri- ation, the American Society of Anesthesiologists said Aug. 14. On Aug. 14, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists an- nounced it is moving forward as the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology as part of a yearlong rebranding effort to advance the science of nurse anesthesiology and advocate for the nearly 60,000 certified registered nurse anesthetists and student regis- tered nurse anesthetists in the U.S. "Our new name tells the story of who we are, what we do and what we stand for," AANA President Steven Sertich, CRNA, said in a news release. "We have now unified this understanding behind a clear, revitalized brand." The American Society of Anesthesiologists values nurse anesthetist colleagues and their work, but it is also dedicated to preserving a physician-led, team-based model of care, ASA President Beverly Philip, MD, said in a news release. Dr. Philip said the "AANA's title misappropriation is a deceptive use of established medical terms and is part of their continuing push for nurse-only practice, which can jeopardize our patients' safety and well-being. It also misleads the public and engages in the pretense that nurse anesthetists' education and training are equivalent to that of physicians." The American Society of Anesthesiologists has more than 54,000 members. n Nurse practitioners most recruited providers for first time in 28 years, report finds By Kelly Gooch N urse practitioners have replaced physicians at the top of Merritt Haw- kins' list of most recruited providers. e finding comes from the search and consulting firm's "2021 Review of Physi- cian and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives." e report, released Aug. 9, is based on a representative sample of 2,458 permanent physician and advanced practitioner search assignments that were ongoing or conducted by Merritt Hawkins/AMN Healthcare's phy- sician staffing companies from April 2020 to March 2021. ose searches were primarily conducted for hospitals (33 percent), group practices (29 percent) and academic settings (20 percent). Searches also occurred for urgent care, federally qualified health centers, the Indian Health Service and concierge medicine. From April 2020 to March 2021, Merritt Hawkins conducted more searches for nurse practitioners (335) than for any other provider type, according to the report. Next was family medicine physicians (284) and radiologists (136). In Merritt Hawkins' report in the 27 prior years, physicians were at the top of the list, according to the firm. "COVID-19 and other market forces are changing the dynamics of physician and advanced practitioner recruiting," Tom Florence, president of Merritt Hawkins, said in a news release. "NPs are coming into their own in a market that puts a premium on easy access to care and cost containment." Mr. Florence also said nurse practitioners are being used to staff a growing number of urgent care centers and outpatient clinics and are being recruited to provide telemedi- cine services. n Previous CMS clerical error may cost US nursing schools millions By Gabrielle Masson I n 2008, CMS made a clerical error that resulted in an extra $300 million being distributed to 120 hospital-based U.S. nursing school programs, CBS affiliate WCIA reported Aug. 10. Previously, Congress set an annual $60 million cap on the funds. In August 2020, the govern- ment realized the cap wasn't being enforced and said it would ask for the funds back from a decade of overpayment. The government's error would cost Spring- field, Ill.-based St. John's College of Nursing about $1.5 million in repayment, according to board chair Mike Houston. "We've been receiving this money for so long, it's just a part of the overall budget that we have," Mr. Houston said. A bipartisan bill has been filed in Congress that would block CMS from taking the money back. The legislation would waive the cap on the program and lock it in as permanent funding. CMS hasn't responded to questions about the timeline of the plan to recover the funds, according to WCIA. n