Opting out of federal rule requiring physician supervision does not increase anesthesia care access

(American Society of Anesthesiologists) The Medicare 'opt-out' rule that allows anesthesia to be administered without physician supervision does not increase patient access to anesthesia care, according to a study recently published online in Anesthesia and Analgesia. The study shows that overall, opt-out states experienced a lower growth in anesthesia cases (anesthesia utilization rates) compared with non-opt-out states, suggesting that opt-out is not associated with an increase in access to an...