Anesthesiologist assistants would be good addition

To the editor:

Recently, the Southeast Missourian printed a letter, "Bills would lower state standards for anesthesiology," from nurse anesthetist Melanie Dillard. The bills in question, House Bill 390 and Senate Bill 300, would allow the licensing of anesthesiologist assistants in Missouri. We are compelled to tell the other side of this story.

Anesthesiologist assistants are highly trained anesthetists who provide anesthesia care exclusively under the supervision of anesthesiologists. They have been practicing for 30 years and have stood the test of time. Anesthesiologist assistants are employed in 14 states and the District of Columbia. They receive overwhelming positive feedback from their employers, who consider them interchangeable with nurse anesthetists in the anesthesia care team model. They are recognized by the Missouri Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Medical Association, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

HB 390 and SB 300 have been endorsed by the Missouri Society of Anesthesiologists, the Missouri State Medical Association, the Missouri Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons, the president of the Missouri Chapter of the American College of Surgeons and the Missouri Hospital Association.

The licensing of anesthesiologist assistants would provide a beneficial addition to the anesthesia work force in Missouri. It would help to safely address current and future staffing shortages in the delivery of anesthesia services.DR. JEFFREY S. STEELE

DR. JOHN F. RIGDON

Cape Girardeau