Certified anesthesiologist assistants are currently able to practice in 18 jurisdictions in the United States. If you are an employer in one of these jurisdictions, you are able to hire CAAs to work at your practice.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, recognize both CAAs and nurse anesthetists as non-physician anesthesia providers, and third-party payers recognize no distinction between the two types of providers with regard to payments for services provided under medical direction by an anesthesiologist.
The anesthesiologist supervision ratio for CAAs are often specified as contract requirements from payers. For instance, in order to meet CMS requirements for medical direction, no more than four anesthetists may be concurrently directed by an anesthesiologist.
The supervision ration may also be defined in state law or board of medicine guidelines. It is typically 2:1 or 4:1.
More information on practice management and employment of CAAs can be found through the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
If your state does not presently provide the legislative or delegatory option of CAA practice, consultation should take place with the board of medicine or other governing body to explore the specific legal implications of CAA practice in your state.
The American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants is a valuable resource on suggested methods of licensing and establishing practice of CAAs, which its drawn from various states.