Colorado Supreme Court rules on physician supervision of anesthesia care
The Colorado Supreme Court on June 1 ruled on the Colorado Society of Anesthesiologists lawsuit challenging a 2010 decision by then-Governor Bill Ritter exempting Colorado’s rural hospitals from the federal regulation requiring a physician to supervise a nurse anesthetist administering anesthesia during surgical procedures.
The Colorado Medical Society and Colorado Society of Anesthesiologists brought suit against the governor in 2010 arguing the exemption was contrary to Colorado state law. A Colorado District court ruled against the medical societies in 2011, and the Colorado Court of Appeals upheld the lower court decision in 2012.
The Supreme Court decision reversed the lower court’s primary findings and reaffirms the medical societies’ standing to challenge the Ritter decision.
Access a CSA news release.
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