Legal & Regulatory Issues

David B. Waisel, MD, a Harvard anesthesiologist, said when patients turn 14 they are able to make decisions about treatment with anesthesia, according to an Anesthesiology News report.

The Supreme Court has not revealed whether it will expedite a lawsuit by Virginia against the healthcare reform law, according to a Hill report.

A Beverly Hills anesthesiologist is being blamed for the death of a woman after a recent weight-loss surgery at a local clinic, according to an autopsy report by the Los Angeles County coroner.

Indiana House Public Health Committee approved a bill that would require physicians, nurses and other medical workers to undergo a criminal background check when applying for a new state license, according to a News-Times report.

The Denver District Court has upheld Colorado's right to opt out of the federal physician supervision requirement for nurse anesthetists, according to a news release from the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists.

The American Medical Association has sent a letter to CMS outlining the federal regulations physicians find most burdensome.

Delaware medical facilities that perform procedures requiring anesthesia or sedation would be subject to complaint-driven inspections under a bill approved by the state Senate on Tuesday, according to a Delaware Online report.

Payment reforms targeting specific high-cost geographical areas would be ineffective, according to a report by the National Institute for Health Care Reform.

Under a North Carolina bill, emergency room patients would be barred from recovering damages from providers — even if they are harmed or permanently disfigured from the care they received, according to a Raleigh Telegram report. SB #33, introduced by…

A group of public-interest law firms plan to file suit against Arizona's planned cuts to its Medicaid program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, according to Bloomberg Businessweek report.