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Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2021 - 2022 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	May 11, 2022 11:16 AM
From:	Senator Chris Gebhard
To:	All Senate members
Subject:	Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants

In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation that creates a license for Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant (CAA) in Pennsylvania. CAAs serve as a key part of the anesthesia care team and don’t have the ability to practice in Pennsylvania as they do in other states.   Over the past 20 years, the mortality rate of anesthesia related deaths has gone from 1-25,000 to 1 in 300,000.  This legislation will further increase the safety of anesthesia use by creating a CAA position.    CAAs are highly trained and must receive a master’s degree to be certified. Currently, 16 states, the District of Columbia and the territory of Guam recognize the ability of CAAs to practice and have also been granted the ability to practice in any Veteran’s Affairs facility in the United States.   This bill will be a companion to Representative Schlegel Culver’s HB 1956.   Please join me in co-sponsoring this important piece of legislation.

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