AN ACT
RELATING TO ANESTHESIOLOGY; CHANGING A DEFINITION; CHANGING
THE SCOPE OF AUTHORITY OF ANESTHESIOLOGIST ASSISTANTS; CHANGING THE NUMBER OF
ANESTHESIOLOGIST ASSISTANTS A SUPERVISING ANESTHESIOLOGIST MAY SUPERVISE;
AMENDING A SECTION OF THE NMSA 1978.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
Section 1. Section 61-6-10.2 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2001,
Chapter 311, Section 2) is amended to read:
"61-6-10.2. DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Anesthesiologist
Assistants Act:
A. "anesthesiologist" means a
physician licensed to practice medicine in New Mexico who has successfully
completed an accredited anesthesiology graduate medical education program, who
is board certified by the American board of anesthesiology or board eligible,
who has completed a residency in anesthesiology within the last three years or
who has foreign certification determined by the board to be the substantial
equivalent and who is an employee of the department of anesthesiology of a
medical school in New Mexico;
B. "anesthesiologist assistant" means
a skilled person employed or to be employed by a university in New Mexico with
a medical school certified by the board as being qualified by academic and
practical training to assist an anesthesiologist in developing and implementing
anesthesia care plans for patients under the supervision and direction of the
anesthesiologist who is responsible for the performance of that
anesthesiologist assistant;
C. "applicant" means a person who is
applying to the board for a license as an anesthesiologist assistant;
D. "board" means the New Mexico board
of medical examiners; and
E. "license" means an authorization to
practice as an anesthesiologist assistant."
Section 2. Section 61-6-10.3 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2001,
Chapter 311, Section 3) is amended to read:
"61-6-10.3. LICENSURE--REGISTRATION--ANESTHESIOLOGIST
ASSISTANT--SCOPE OF AUTHORITY.--
A. The board may license qualified persons as
anesthesiologist assistants.
B. A person shall not perform, attempt to
perform or hold himself out as an anesthesiologist assistant until he is
licensed by the board as an anesthesiologist assistant and has registered his
supervising licensed anesthesiologist in accordance with board regulations.
C. An anesthesiologist assistant may assist the
supervising anesthesiologist in developing and implementing an anesthesia care
plan for a patient. In providing
assistance to the supervising anesthesiologist, an anesthesiologist assistant
may do any of the following:
(1) obtain a comprehensive patient history and
perform a physical exam and present the history and exam findings to the
supervising anesthesiologist who must conduct a pre-anesthetic interview and
evaluation;
(2) pretest and calibrate anesthesia delivery
systems;
(3) monitor, obtain and interpret information
from anesthesia delivery systems and anesthesia monitoring equipment;
(4) assist the supervising anesthesiologist with
the implementation of medically accepted monitoring techniques;
(5) establish basic and advanced airway
interventions, including intubation of the trachea and performing ventilatory
support;
(6) administer intermittent vasoactive drugs;
(7) start and adjust vasoactive infusions;
(8) administer anesthetic drugs, adjuvant drugs
and accessory drugs;
(9) assist the supervising anesthesiologist with
the performance of epidural anesthetic procedures and spinal anesthetic
procedures;
(10) administer blood, blood products and
supportive fluids;
(11) participate in administrative activities and
clinical teaching activities;
(12) participate in research activities by
performing the same procedures that may be performed under Paragraphs (1)
through (10) of this subsection; and
(13) provide assistance to cardiopulmonary
resuscitation teams in response to life-threatening situations.
D. An applicant shall complete an application
form provided by the board and shall submit the completed form with the
application fee to the board."
Section 3. Section 61-6-10.9 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2001,
Chapter 311, Section 9) is amended to read:
"61-6-10.9. RULES.--
A. The board may adopt and enforce reasonable
rules:
(1) for setting qualifications of education,
skill and experience for licensure of a person as an anesthesiologist
assistant;
(2) for providing procedures and forms for licensure
and annual registration;
(3) for examining and evaluating applicants for
licensure as an anesthesiologist assistant regarding the required skill,
knowledge and experience in developing and implementing anesthesia care plans
under supervision;
(4) for allowing a supervising anesthesiologist
to temporarily delegate his supervisory responsibilities for an
anesthesiologist assistant to another anesthesiologist;
(5) for allowing an anesthesiologist assistant to
temporarily serve under the supervision of an anesthesiologist other than the
supervising anesthesiologist with whom the anesthesiologist assistant is
registered; and
(6) to carry out the provisions of the
Anesthesiologist Assistants Act.
B. The board shall not adopt a rule allowing an
anesthesiologist assistant to perform procedures outside the anesthesiologist
assistant's scope of practice.
C. The board shall adopt rules:
(1) establishing requirements for
anesthesiologist assistant licensing, including:
(a) completion of a graduate level training
program accredited by the commission on accreditation of allied health
education programs;
(b) successful completion of a certifying
examination for anesthesiologist assistants administered by the national
commission for the certification of anesthesiologist assistants; and
(c) current certification by the American heart
association in advanced cardiac life-support techniques;
(2) establishing minimum requirements for
continuing education of not less than forty hours every two years;
(3) requiring adequate identification of the
anesthesiologist assistant to patients and others;
(4) requiring the presence, except in cases of
emergency, and the documentation of the presence, of the supervising
anesthesiologist in the operating room during induction of a general or
regional anesthetic and during emergence from a general anesthetic, the
presence of the supervising anesthesiologist within the operating suite and
immediate availability to the operating room at other times when the anesthetic
procedure is being performed and requiring that the anesthesiologist assistant
comply with the above restrictions;
(5) requiring the supervising anesthesiologist to
ensure that all activities, functions, services and treatment measures are
properly documented in written form by the anesthesiologist assistant. The anesthesia record shall be reviewed,
countersigned and dated by the supervising anesthesiologist;
(6) requiring the anesthesiologist assistant to
inform the supervising anesthesiologist of serious adverse events;
(7) establishing the number of anesthesiologist
assistants a supervising anesthesiologist may supervise at one time, which
number, except in emergency cases, shall not exceed three. An anesthesiologist shall not supervise,
except in emergency cases, more than four anesthesia providers if at least one
anesthesia provider is an anesthesiologist assistant; and
(8) within twelve months of the date on which the
Anesthesiologist Assistants Act becomes effective, providing for enhanced
supervision at the commencement of an anesthesiologist assistant's
practice."