Gastro Broadcast

Gastro Broadcast


Episode #87: New CRNA-Provided Anesthesia Policy Threatens Access to Care | Lisa Mathew | Dru Riddle

January 06, 2026

Dr. Lisa Mathew interviews Dru Riddle, Professor of Professional Practice and Director of Clinical Education in the School of Nurse Anesthesia at Texas Christian University and a past president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, about the role certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) play in providing anesthesia for GI care. CRNAs are essential to maintaining access to GI procedures that require anesthesia, particularly in outpatient endoscopy centers where many GI practices rely on CRNAs as their primary anesthesia workforce. UnitedHealthcare recently implemented a 15 percent reduction in reimbursement for anesthesia services provided by CRNAs, which could make it harder for outpatient endoscopy centers to maintain anesthesia coverage, push more care into hospital settings, and limit timely access to GI procedures. Join Dr. Mathew and Dr. Riddle as they discuss the importance of CRNA-delivered anesthesia, the potential impact of insurer policy changes on patient access to GI care, and practical considerations for independent GI practices that are navigating these issues. Produced by Andrew Sousa and Hayden Margolis for Steadfast Collaborative, LLC Mixed and mastered by Hayden Margolis Gastro Broadcast, Episode 87, presented by TissueCypher from Castle Biosciences