Assistants-at-surgery: recognition of the role of the registered nurse.

In the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 (OBRA '89), Congress directed the Physician Payment Review Commission (PPRC or "the Commission") to make recommendations on payment policies for assistants-at-surgery, including physicians, physician assistants (PAs) and registered nurses (RNs). The National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses (NAON), via the Government Relations Committee and Executive Board, participated in the public hearing on this issue and submitted testimony on the role of the RN first assistant during orthopaedic surgery. In its 1991 report to Congress, the Commission recommended that inappropriate utilization of assistants-at-surgery could be reduced by implementing "profiling"--a variety of techniques to examine the use of assistants. PPRC failed to comment on policies related to non-physician providers, determining that this was a coverage issue, not a payment issue and thus outside the scope of their jurisdiction. However, as global surgical payment policy is further defined by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) and Congress, consideration will again be given to incorporating payment for assistants-at-surgery into a comprehensive fee schedule. Recognition of the registered nurse as an assistant-at-surgery will continue to be a primary goal of NAON.