Beyond The Mask: Innovation & Opportunities For CRNAs

Ep 170: The History of TEFRA and How It Changed Anesthesia

Forty years have passed since the Tax, Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA) became law and this piece of federal legislation changed the way payment and reimbursement was tracked. Today we’ll look back on the history of TEFRA with Nancy Bruton-Maree, CRNA, and Sandy Ouellette, CRNA, to learn more about the reasons behind it, how the AANA responded, and what revisions have been made through the years.
 
Read more: http://beyondthemaskpodcast.com 
 
Get the CE certificate here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Beyond-the-Mask-CE-Cert-FILLABLE.pdf
 
What we discuss in this episode: 
3:00 – What we’re talking about today
5:05 – Why was TEFRA implemented?
8:04 – Quality of care standard
9:33 – What the practice used to look like?
14:27 – Preparing practitioners
15:36 – What the original rules said
20:32 – Medical supervision and direction
26:56 – 7 conditions of payment
28:49 – AANA’s reaction to TEFRA
31:23 – Concerns between 1993 to 1998
34:32 – Proposed revisions
37:45 – What is immediately available
40:44 – Current TEFRA rules
44:20 – Any updated revisions?
47:15 – Physicians starting schools
51:15 – A book recommendation
52:02 – Final thoughts

Ep 169: CRNA Advocacy in Pennsylvania and the Lessons Learned

Today we want to shine the advocacy spotlight on the work being done by CRNAs in Pennsylvania, who have helped drive some significant changes in their state. Laura Wiggins, DNP, CRNA and Jessica Poole, DNAP, CRNA are two of the nurses involved in shaping the legislation and they join us to share the details on what’s happening in the Keystone State and what it means for all of us in the profession.
 
Read more: http://beyondthemaskpodcast.com 
 
Get the CE certificate here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Beyond-the-Mask-CE-Cert-FILLABLE.pdf
 
What we discuss in this episode: 
3:05 – Welcome Jessica and Laura  
4:32 – Background on Jessica
6:29 – Background on Laura
7:59 – Legislation they’ve been working on
11:11 – The opposition to it
13:03 – Board of Nursing’s position 
14:52 – Who makes these designations? 
18:38 – Other changes they’ve gotten enacted
22:15 – The physician requirement of Act 60
23:38 – Getting students involved in legislative issues
25:29 – Relationship with lobbyists  
27:03 – Developing relationships with legislators
30:07 – Compensating CRNAs to advocate
32:41 – Networking support from other groups
39:06 – CRNA practice during COVID in PA
41:12 – Getting involved in advocacy

Ep 168: A Free App Created to Improve Anesthesia

Time is of the essence in the operating room, and it’s important that you’re able to track down the information you need as quickly as possible. Thanks to technology, this process is becoming much more efficient. Today we’ll introduce you to Matthew Willis, DNP, CRNA, the person who developed, coded and maintains the educational app Master Anesthesia. Find out how this app is changing the way nurse anesthetists are able to track down information and make instant calculations right from their phones.  
 
Get the app: https://masteranesthesia.com
 
Read more: http://beyondthemaskpodcast.com 
 
Get the CE certificate here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Beyond-the-Mask-CE-Cert-FILLABLE.pdf
 
What we discuss in this episode: 
2:35 – What we’re talking about
3:53 – Matthew’s background  
5:26 – What the app does  
9:25 – Developing the app
12:50 – Why provide all this for free?
19:38 – How long did the coding take
23:45 – Capabilities of the app
25:49 – The calculator  
29:22 – The future of the app
31:49 – His costs
33:42 – How can CRNAs get involved

Ep 167: In Search of the First Anesthetists

The history of the nurse anesthesia profession is a bit murky as records weren’t kept well through the years as medicine and healthcare progressed, but there are opinions on who the first anesthetist was. Today we’ll examine the most likely candidates with our historians Nancy Bruton-Maree, CRNA, and Sandy Ouellette, CRNA, and try to determine who can claim the title of the real first anesthetist.
 
Read more: http://beyondthemaskpodcast.com 
 
Get the CE certificate here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Beyond-the-Mask-CE-Cert-FILLABLE.pdf
 
What we discuss in this episode: 
3:00 – Background on this topic
6:36 – History books on anesthesia
10:21 – Historical information
15:08 – Humphry Davy
16:16 – Crawford Long  
17:51 – Horace Wells  
19:27 – William Morton
22:35 – James Simpson
23:06 – John Snow
28:39 – The real first anesthetist according to AANA
33:56 – Who was in the earliest American hospitals?  
38:08 – Disputes  
40:44 – The role nuns played
42:58 – The evolution of names for anesthetists
46:32 – Sandy’s opinion on first anesthetists
48:21 – Final thoughts
 
Resources mentioned on the show: 
The Wondrous Story of Anesthesia
The Etherist Podcast
The Global Voice for Nurse Anesthesia - IFNA (1989-2021)
 

Ep 166: How Elevated Ambient Noise in the OR Impacts Health & Safety

It’s something outside people might never think about but ambient noise can have a direct impact on the health of CRNAs and the safety of the patients. Many people working in operating rooms don’t realize the effect that elevated noise levels can have and there might be different reasons for that. But we wanted to bring Marianne Cosgrove, CRNA, DNAP, APRN, PhD, onto the show to tell us more about the research she’s done in this area and what she’s found.
 
Read more: http://beyondthemaskpodcast.com 
 
About our guest: https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/marianne_cosgrove/ 
 
Get the CE certificate here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Beyond-the-Mask-CE-Cert-FILLABLE.pdf
 
What we discuss in this episode:
2:06 – Welcome in our guest today
4:15 – Where did this interest come from? 
6:45 – Sharon’s background in this subject 
7:56 – Her study
13:27– Sound levels in the OR
15:43 – Return on the surveys
18:35 – Other survey findings
20:00 – Other contributors to the noise 
22:42 – CRNAs reaction to this
26:41 – Patient safety
29:54 – How to mitigate the noise 
34:44 – Lightning Round
 

Ep 165: Incivility and Bullying by Healthcare Providers in the Clinical Setting

Incivility and bullying can be found in all types of environments in our society and that’s unfortunately true with the academic and clinical settings for SRNAs. This can create an environment that interferes with a student’s ability to learn, ability to cope, relationships, health and well-being. Holly Chandler EdD, CRNA, conducted a study with students to learn more about the issues they're facing and joins us to share her findings and look at the larger problem within the healthcare industry.  
 
Read more: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/
 
About our guest: https://www.bryanhealthcollege.edu/bcohs/faculty-staff-directory/nurse-anesthesia-faculty/meet-holly/ 
 
Get the CE certificate here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Beyond-the-Mask-CE-Cert-FILLABLE.pdf
 
What we discuss in this episode:
3:39 – Why the topic is important
5:19 – Background on Holly
6:56 – Incivility vs Bullying
8:48 – Has Sharon ever felt bullied?
11:13 – SRNAs put in tough position
13:41 – Student risk
17:28 – Reporting
19:47 – Resources that are available
22:40 – What to do if you have a colleague behaving this way?
25:10 – Encouraging people to speak up
27:23 – Self-policing
29:59 – Is this more of a societal trend?
32:35 – Jeopardizing accreditation
34:21 – Lightning Round

Ep 164: CRNA Entrepreneurship in Aesthetics and Wellness

If you’ve ever considered being your own boss and building a business that can supplement or replace your CRNA income, there are paths out there that our peers are paving. One of those people is Mariann Trice, CRNA, ARNP, who transitioned to an independent practice after working more than 30 years in the medical field. Today she’ll tell us about her journey into entrepreneurship, the continuing education process, and why aesthetics and wellness have become a booming business.
 
About our guest: http://luminositeaesthetics.com/
 
Read more: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/
 
Get the CE certificate here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Beyond-the-Mask-CE-Cert-FILLABLE.pdf
 
What we discuss in this episode:
3:47 – Background on our guest today
6:02 – Move to Seattle
8:26 – A W2/1099 offer she received
10:22 – Launching her new business
12:21 – Additional training required
14:39 – 3 CRNAs that offer training courses
18:40 – Biggest challenges in this journey
21:14 – Starting during a pandemic
23:19 – Market is booming
24:37 – Pandemic’s impact on the industry
26:03 – ‘Brotox’
30:24 – Income
37:52 – Limitations
41:51 – AANA advocacy
47:56 – Biggest reward
51:36 – Social media marketing
55:43 – Final thoughts

Ep 163: How to Negotiate & Review CRNA Contracts

Talking about money isn’t an easy thing for most people to do. That’s why conversations around CRNA contracts can get uncomfortable and eventually lead to deals that don’t provide the value or benefits that you want and deserve. That’s why we’ve invited Jon Appino, founder of Contract Diagnostics, to talk about the negotiation process and how to approach your next contract review.
 
Read more: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/ep-163-how-to-negotiate-review-crna-contracts/3151/
 
About our guest: https://contractdiagnostics.com/about-us/ 
 
Get the CE certificate here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Beyond-the-Mask-CE-Cert-FILLABLE.pdf
 
What we discuss in this episode: 
2:16 – Background on guest and topic
4:07 – How he got into this business
8:03 – What is negotiable
10:07 – Tactics for negotiating
15:44 – W2 vs 1099
19:03 – Helping people understand their options
21:55 – Understanding your worth
25:57 – Red flags in contracts
27:56 – AANA compensation benefit study
31:19 – Current trends
34:12 – Is it okay to push back?
36:26 – What do these services cost?
40:05 – Re-negotiating
41:29 – Pay for men vs women
43:27 – Lightning round