Impact of Scope of Practice Laws for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists on the Utilization of Anesthesia Services.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To assess the impact of pandemic-related changes in state scope of practice law (SOPL) for certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) on the utilization of anesthesia services during the COVID-19 pandemic, which served as a natural experiment.

Study setting and design

We used a difference-in-differences approach to compare changes in the utilization of anesthesia services during the COVID-19 pandemic in areas that expanded SOPL (removed requirements for supervision or direction) to those that did not. Additionally, we examined if the impact of changes in SOPL on patient access differed by underserved status.

Data sources and analytic sample

To understand patient access to anesthesia care, we used a large, national administrative claims database of priva

SUBMITTER: Ghosh PP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12857518 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature