To provide for a study of anesthesia services furnished under the Medicare Program, and to expand arrangements under which certified registered nurse anesthetists may furnish such services.

H.R. 716 would require the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a study comparing patient safety outcomes, such as mortality and complication rates, across different types of anesthesia providers within the Medicare program. Additionally, the bill would update federal regulations to expand the ways Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) can provide services to Medicare patients. Under these changes, CRNAs would be permitted to administer anesthesia not only under the medical direction or supervision of a physician but also through a formal written collaboration agreement with an experienced physician or medical group.