This week ASGE joined with the Digestive Health Physicians Association and other GI organizations to support legislation pending in the Louisiana State Legislature that would ensure certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) are reimbursed by insurers for the anesthesia services they are licensed and authorized to provide.
SB 275 is in response to a policy change by UnitedHealthcare to reduce reimbursement for (CRNAs) by 15 percent for personally performed anesthesia services when appended with the QZ modifier.
The letter outlined the impact reduced CRNA reimbursement could have on timely access to care for GI procedures since ambulatory surgery centers in Louisiana rely heavily on CRNAs to provide anesthesia care. The letter notes that from 2010–2023, almost 65 percent of anesthesia services in Louisiana were billed as CRNA-provided anesthesia services, accounting for more than 65 percent of anesthesia payments during that period.
SB 275, which would require CRNAs to be reimbursed at the same rate as when anesthesia is provided by a physician, passed the Louisiana Senate on March 31 and now moves to the House for consideration.