An anesthesiologist, John Kidd, MD, has a career spanning over 20 years including his present position with Medicus Healthcare Solutions. John Kidd, MD is also a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).
In January, the ASA and its supporters came out to urge the Department of Veterans Affairs not to lift the rule requiring physician-led anesthesia care through the VA. The rule would remove the supervision of physicians when administering anesthesia. Around 13,000 comments, 3,000 of which came from veterans, advocated alongside the ASA to protect the quality of care for veterans by adhering to the requirement.
The ASA opposes any action that would lower the standard of care for patients. Removing the rule would place nurses in charge. While nurses are highly-trained, they do not possess the same expertise or have the same training (in breadth or time) as an anesthesiologist. Ultimately, the organization believes that not adhering to this requirement would lower the standard of care and jeopardize patient safety.
