A RESOLUTION relative to anesthesia workforce.
House Joint Resolution 122 directs the Tennessee Department of Health, working with the Board of Nursing and the Board of Medical Examiners, to conduct a comprehensive study of the state’s anesthesia workforce and staffing conditions. The study is intended to examine the availability and distribution of anesthesia providers, including physician anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), as well as the education and training pipeline that supplies those providers.
The resolution also asks the agencies to identify barriers to recruitment, retention, and practice; evaluate factors affecting staffing such as reimbursement, staffing models, burnout, outpatient trends, aging patients and providers, and workplace conditions; and determine whether the current workforce is being used to its full potential under state and federal requirements. The study must include stakeholder input, review peer-reviewed literature, and produce policy recommendations on staffing and the cost of anesthesia services, with a report due to the relevant legislative committees by January 31, 2026.
This resolution does not directly change Tennessee statutes or create new regulatory requirements. Instead, it initiates an executive-branch study process involving the Department of Health, the Board of Nursing, and the Board of Medical Examiners, and it may inform future legislation or administrative action affecting anesthesia staffing, workforce development, reimbursement, and provider scope or utilization. Its practical impact is to place anesthesia workforce issues on the state policy agenda and gather data for possible reforms affecting hospitals, outpatient facilities, anesthesiologists, CRNAs, and related health workforce stakeholders.
The bill appears broadly supportive and exploratory in tone, reflecting concern about rising healthcare costs, staffing shortages, and access to anesthesia services. Because it is a study resolution rather than a mandate or restructuring bill, it is framed as a consensus-building effort to collect information and recommendations. No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no evidence in the record of formal opposition or divided sentiment.
The main issues flagged in the resolution are the causes and consequences of anesthesia staffing shortages, including reimbursement levels, staffing models, workforce burnout, and whether existing providers are being used efficiently. Potential points of contention likely involve the balance between physician anesthesiologists and CRNAs, how anesthesia services should be staffed in hospitals and non-operating-room settings, and whether current state and federal rules limit provider utilization. The bill seeks input from the Tennessee Society of Anesthesiologists, Tennessee Association of Nurse Anesthetists, rural health advocates, hospitals, and workforce experts, suggesting that differing stakeholder views are expected and relevant to the study.