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Measure AB 876
Authors Flora  
Subject Nurse anesthetists: scope of practice.
Relating To relating to healing arts.
Title An act to amend Sections 2826 and 2833.6 of, and to add Sections 2826.5, 2826.6, and 2826.7 to, the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts.
Last Action Dt 2025-10-01
State Chaptered
Status Chaptered
Active? Y
Vote Required Majority
Appropriation No
Fiscal Committee Yes
Local Program No
Substantive Changes None
Urgency No
Tax Levy No
Leginfo Link Bill
Actions
2025-10-01     Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 169, Statutes of 2025.
2025-10-01     Approved by the Governor.
2025-09-11     Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
2025-09-04     Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 70. Noes 1. Page 2929.).
2025-09-03     In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
2025-09-03     Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 2438.).
2025-09-03     Reconsideration granted. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2438.)
2025-09-03     Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 33. Noes 0. Page 2437.).
2025-08-26     Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-08-25     From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.
2025-07-14     From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (July 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-07-09     From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.
2025-05-28     Referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.
2025-05-15     In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
2025-05-15     Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 61. Noes 1. Page 1563.)
2025-05-08     Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-07     From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 7).
2025-04-24     Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-04-23     Read second time and amended.
2025-04-22     From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 15. Noes 1.) (April 22).
2025-03-03     Referred to Com. on B. & P.
2025-02-20     From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.
2025-02-19     Read first time. To print.
Keywords
Tags
Versions
Chaptered     2025-10-01
Enrolled     2025-09-08
Amended Senate     2025-07-09
Amended Assembly     2025-04-23
Introduced     2025-02-19
Last Version Text 
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		<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Flora</ns0:AuthorText>
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		<ns0:Title> An act to amend Sections 2826 and 2833.6 of, and to add Sections 2826.5, 2826.6, and 2826.7 to, the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts. </ns0:Title>
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			<ns0:Subject>Nurse anesthetists: scope of practice.</ns0:Subject>
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			<html:p>Existing law, the Nurse Anesthetists Act, provides for the certification and regulation of nurse anesthetists by the Board of Registered Nursing. Existing law requires the utilization of a nurse anesthetist to provide anesthesia services in an acute care facility to be approved by the acute care facility administration and the appropriate committee, as defined, and at the discretion of the physician, dentist, or podiatrist. Existing law makes a nurse anesthetist who is not an employee of an acute care facility subject to the bylaws of the facility. </html:p>
			<html:p>This bill would expressly provide that a nurse anesthetist is authorized to perform anesthesia services. The bill would define “anesthesia services” for purposes of the act to mean, among other things, preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care and pain management provided by a nurse anesthetist for patients receiving anesthesia pursuant to an order by a physician, dentist, or podiatrist for anesthesia services. Under the bill, an order by a physician, dentist, or podiatrist for anesthesia services for a specific patient would be deemed the authorization for the nurse anesthetist to select and implement the modality of anesthesia for the patient and to abort or modify the modality of anesthesia during the course of care. The bill would provide
			 that the selection and administration of medication by a nurse anesthetist for preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care and for pain management purposes pursuant to an order by a physician, dentist, or podiatrist shall not constitute a prescription as that term is defined in a specified provision of federal law.</html:p>
			<html:p>The bill would state that the provisions of the Nurse Anesthetists Act are declaratory of existing law and of an advisory opinion, including specified case law.</html:p>
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		<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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			<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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				Section 2826 of the 
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							<html:p>As used in this article:</html:p>
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								(a)
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								“Nurse anesthetist” means a person who is a registered nurse licensed by the board who has met standards for certification from the board. In the certification and recertification process, the board shall consider the standards of the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists, or a successor national professional organization approved by the board, and may develop new standards if there is a public safety need for standards more stringent than the councils’ standards. In determining the adequacy for public safety of the councils’ standards or in developing board standards, the board shall comply with the provisions of Chapter 3.5 (commencing
						with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
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								(b)
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								“Accredited program” means a program for the education of nurse anesthetists that has received approval from the board. In the approval process, the board shall consider the standards of the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs and Schools and may develop new standards if the councils’ standards are determined to be inadequate for public safety. In determining the adequacy for public safety of the councils’ standards or in developing board standards, the
						board shall comply with the provisions of Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
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								(c)
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								“Anesthesia services” include all of the following:
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								(1)
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								Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care and pain management provided by a nurse anesthetist for patients receiving anesthesia pursuant to an order by a physician, dentist, or podiatrist for anesthesia services.
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								(2)
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								Selecting and administering medication pursuant to an order for anesthesia services by a physician, dentist, or podiatrist.
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								(3)
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								Providing emergency, critical care, and resuscitation services.
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								(d)
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								“Appropriate committee” means the committee responsible for anesthesia practice that is responsible to the executive committee of the medical staff.
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								(e)
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								“Trainee” means a registered nurse enrolled in an accredited program of nurse anesthesia.
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								(f)
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								“Graduate” means a nurse anesthetist who is a graduate of an accredited program of nurse anesthesia awaiting initial certification results for not more than one year from the date of graduation.
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				Section 2826.5 is added to the 
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							<html:p>A nurse anesthetist is authorized to perform anesthesia services.</html:p>
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				Section 2826.6 is added to the 
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							<html:p>An order by a physician, dentist, or podiatrist for anesthesia services for a specific patient shall be the authorization for the nurse anesthetist to select and implement the modality of anesthesia for the patient and to abort or modify the modality of anesthesia for the patient during the course of care.</html:p>
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				Section 2826.7 is added to the 
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					<ns0:Num>2826.7.</ns0:Num>
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							<html:p>The selection and administration of medication by a nurse anesthetist, including controlled substances, for preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care and for pain management purposes pursuant to an order by a physician, dentist, or podiatrist shall not constitute a prescription, as that term is defined in Section 1300.01 of Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations.</html:p>
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				Section 2833.6 of the 
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							<html:p>Nothing in this article shall be construed to restrict, expand, alter, or modify the existing scope of practice of, a nurse anesthetist and is declaratory of existing law and advisory opinion, including, but not limited to, California Society of Anesthesiologists v. Brown (2012) 204 Cal.App.4th 390.</html:p>
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Last Version Text Digest Existing law, the Nurse Anesthetists Act, provides for the certification and regulation of nurse anesthetists by the Board of Registered Nursing. Existing law requires the utilization of a nurse anesthetist to provide anesthesia services in an acute care facility to be approved by the acute care facility administration and the appropriate committee, as defined, and at the discretion of the physician, dentist, or podiatrist. Existing law makes a nurse anesthetist who is not an employee of an acute care facility subject to the bylaws of the facility. This bill would expressly provide that a nurse anesthetist is authorized to perform anesthesia services. The bill would define “anesthesia services” for purposes of the act to mean, among other things, preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care and pain management provided by a nurse anesthetist for patients receiving anesthesia pursuant to an order by a physician, dentist, or podiatrist for anesthesia services. Under the bill, an order by a physician, dentist, or podiatrist for anesthesia services for a specific patient would be deemed the authorization for the nurse anesthetist to select and implement the modality of anesthesia for the patient and to abort or modify the modality of anesthesia during the course of care. The bill would provide that the selection and administration of medication by a nurse anesthetist for preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care and for pain management purposes pursuant to an order by a physician, dentist, or podiatrist shall not constitute a prescription as that term is defined in a specified provision of federal law. The bill would state that the provisions of the Nurse Anesthetists Act are declaratory of existing law and of an advisory opinion, including specified case law.