Nurse Anesthetists Sign on to Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing

Washington, D.C. – Today the National Coalition on Health Care Action Fund announced that the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) has joined the coalition’s Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing which works to find market-based solutions to rising prescription drug prices.

The AANA represents more than 49,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and student registered nurse anesthetists, anesthesia experts who administer approximately 40 million anesthetics to patients in all types of healthcare settings each year in the United States.  The AANA joins a growing list of organizations participating in the campaign, including those representing hospitals, physicians, pharmacists, consumers, patients, employers and health plans.

“The addition of the AANA offers yet another important perspective to an already diverse campaign,” said John Rother, the campaign’s executive director. “Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) such as CRNAs have a special relationship with patients, and their commitment to the well-being of their patients is evident. Unfortunately, drug prices often keep patients from getting proper treatment. It’s one of the many reasons we need to find real solutions to lower drug prices so patients can get the care they deserve.”

“Patients typically do not have a choice in the anesthesia medications they are given for surgery, labor and delivery, and other procedures, yet CRNAs are acutely aware of how pharmaceutical pricing affects patient care,” said AANA President Juan Quintana, DNP, MHS, CRNA. “When the prices of medications used in anesthesia suddenly skyrocket, one of two things happens: Everyone is stuck paying the higher costs, or the hospital pharmacy and anesthesia professionals may be forced to use different, less-expensive medications that may not work as effectively or as well for a given patient. That is a patient care issue, and the AANA is pleased to join this campaign to be part of the solution.”

Lowering prescription drug prices is a bipartisan issue that has gained national attention, including from presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle. Every major presidential candidate has weighed in on the issue as voters demand action and the 2016 election cycle picks up steam. Today, nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of the public view prescription drug costs as unreasonable, and one in four patients (24 percent) say they have not filled a prescription because of cost. Voters are looking for candidates at all levels to find common-sense solutions to make prescription drugs affordable.

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