H.R. 2234 — Ensuring Veterans Timely Access to Anesthesia Care Act of 2025

This section directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to update VHA Directive 1123 (or successor), titled “National Anesthesia Program, Department of Veterans Affairs Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Practice Guidelines,” to recognize certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) as licensed independent practitioners in the Veterans Health Administration consistent with practice standards in section 3(f)(2) of the enclosure to Defense Health Agency Administrative Instruction 6025.07 (dated November 8, 2023, as amended).

This section requires anesthesia professionals employed by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in the Veterans Health Administration to meet certification and experience standards, with non-compliance resulting in suspension from Department of Veterans Affairs employment. Specifically, it requires (1) physician anesthesiologists to be certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology or an equivalent body designated by the Secretary; (2) certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) to be certified by the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists, the Council on Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists, or an equivalent body designated by the Secretary; and (3) all such professionals to have completed at least 25 hours of direct patient anesthesia care (excluding supervision of other anesthesia professionals).

This section directs the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate, not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, a publicly available report on anesthesia delivery models used in the Veterans Health Administration. The report must include (1) data on outcomes for delivery by (A) an anesthesiologist, (B) a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) under physician supervision, and (C) a CRNA without supervision; and (2) a comparison of the cost-effectiveness of those models, including estimated costs to Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities and taxpayers and breakdowns of costs and savings to taxpayers and veterans’ households.