URGENT AANA ADVOCACY ALERT

FROM THE DESK OF
FRANK T. MAZIARSKI CRNA MS CLNC
PRESIDENT
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NURSE ANESTHETISTS


Dear Fellow CRNA,

I am writing to ask you to take action today to help promote patient safety.

With the strong support of the AANA, both the House and Senate have adopted separate but similar versions of the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (S 720, HR 663). Both the House and Senate versions of the bill enable healthcare providers (including CRNAs) the opportunity to report medical errors to patient safety organizations (PSOs) without subjecting themselves to liability.

The time is *now* for CRNAs to speak out in favor of this important bill!

AANA supports voluntarily reporting of medical errors to PSOs for collection and analysis to improve patient safety and the quality of healthcare delivery. America's CRNAs are committed to advancing patient safety so that actual instances of malpractice are reduced. These commitments include active membership in the cross-disciplinary National Quality Forum (NQF) and the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), the development of closed-claims research that transforms tough cases into educational and practice improvements, and the most stringent continuing education and recertification requirements in the field of anesthesia care.

Right now, leaders in the House and Senate are attempting to reconcile differences between their separate versions of the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act. On the fifth anniversary of the landmark Institute of Medicine report "To Err Is Human" that put the issue of medical errors on the map, now is the time for CRNAs to press Congress to enact this important patient safety legislation.

This is a critical quality of care policy issue for our patients, practice and profession. Congressional and Committee Staffs are working on this issue today, even as Election Day approaches.

CRNAs advanced on Capitol Hill last spring to help secure Senate adoption of this important legislation. The time is *now* for your legislators to hear CRNAs' voice again.

For our profession, three two-minute phone calls is all I ask.

What you need to do:

Call your two U.S. Senators and your Representative in Congress. Urge them to support agreement and enactment on the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act, HR 663 and S 720.

If you receive a written response from your Senators and Representative please fax a copy to our AANA Washington DC office at 202-484-8408.

I hope this update has been useful to you. The need to act now is urgent. So for calling, for staying involved, and for taking action on behalf of CRNAs' patients, practice and profession, thank you for all you do.

Sincerely,

Frank T. Maziarski CRNA, MS, CLNC
AANA President


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INSTRUCTIONS:

Make a telephone call to both of your U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative in Congress at Capitol switchboard, 1-202-224-3121. You can look up your Representative's name at www.house.gov and your Senators' names at www.senate.gov.

TALKING POINTS FOR YOUR CALLS:

. I am a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist or CRNA in (community), and I am calling to express my support for Congress to enact the "Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act" before the end of the year.

. H.R. 663 and S. 720, the "Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act," passed the House overwhelmingly in March 2003. The Senate okayed it in July by voice vote. Both bills create medical errors reporting systems that protect patient information and improve patient safety to ensure a quality healthcare system.

. I want you to know that America's CRNAs are committed to advancing patient safety so that actual instances of bad healthcare outcomes are reduced. CRNAs provide about 60 percent of the nation's anesthetics. And the Institute of Medicine reported in 1999 that anesthesia is fifty times safer than 20 years ago. We're committed to continuing improvement. That's why we want Congress to enact this bill.

. May I give you my name and address?

. Again, my message is for you to support enacting the "Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act," H.R. 663 and S. 720.

. Thank you!


TO FOLLOW-UP:

If you receive a written response from your Senators and Representative please fax a copy to our AANA Washington, D.C. office at 202-484-8408.
Or email us at info@aanadc.com. Thank you!

(posted 10-4-2004)