As much as there is a shortage of nurses in the nation and in Iowa, other medical specialists are even harder to find, including anesthesiologists.  There are only about 290 anesthesiologists in all of Iowa and they are located in just 17 of the state’s 99 counties, mostly along the I-80 corridor.  For more than 50 counties in western and southern Iowa, there are only about 30 anesthesiologists (compared to more than 80 in Polk County alone).  Bottom line: there are simply far too few anesthesiologists to adequately serve Iowa’s medical demands, including the 435,000 surgeries performed in Iowa hospitals each year. 

That’s where an important group of highly trained nurses comes in.  Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) can perform many of the same procedures as anesthesiologists.  And while there are only about 220 CRNAs in Iowa, they are spread across 64 counties. 

Like anesthesiologists, CRNAs not only provide anesthesia during surgery, they also provide chronic pain management.  This is a critical service, particularly in rural counties that have large populations of senior citizens. Chronic pain can be debilitating and often becomes the defining factor in patients’ lives.  Without relief, or the hope of relief, many patients lose the ability to eat, sleep, work and function normally. 

Imagine being in constant pain and having to travel more than 100 miles or wait more than a month to receive treatment – yet, that would be the situation for many Iowans without the availability of CRNAs. 

Still, there are specialty physician groups that want to create rules that would keep CRNAs from providing pain management.  There is no medical reason for this; Iowa CRNAs have a spotless record of offering this service.  Nonetheless, legislation has been introduced in Iowa that would prohibit this practice by CRNAs. 

Because Iowa’s hospitals recognize the critical role CRNAs play in making sure all Iowans have access to care, IHA opposes this legislation. 

You can find out more about this issue by reading IHA’s position paper.