Virginia Law

A. A written protocol shall be developed and followed for procedure selection to include but not be limited to:

1. The doctor providing or supervising the anesthesia shall ensure that the procedure to be undertaken is within the scope of practice of the health care practitioners and the capabilities of the facility.

2. The procedure or combined procedures shall be of a duration and degree of complexity that shall not exceed four hours and that will permit the patient to recover and be discharged from the facility in less than 24 hours. The procedure or combined procedures may be extended for up to eight hours if the anesthesia is provided by an anesthesiologist or a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

3. The level of anesthesia used shall be appropriate for the patient, the surgical procedure, the clinical setting, the education and training of the personnel, and the equipment available. The choice of specific anesthesia agents and techniques shall focus on providing an anesthetic that will be effective and appropriate and will address the specific needs of the patient while also ensuring rapid recovery to normal function with maximum efforts to control post-operative pain, nausea, or other side effects.

B. A written protocol shall be developed for patient evaluation to include but not be limited to:

1. The preoperative anesthesia evaluation of a patient shall be performed by the health care practitioner administering the anesthesia or supervising the administration of anesthesia. It shall consist of performing an appropriate history and physical examination, determining the patient's physical status classification, developing a plan of anesthesia care, acquainting the patient or the responsible individual with the proposed plan, and discussing the risks and benefits.

2. The condition of the patient, specific morbidities that complicate anesthetic management, the specific intrinsic risks involved, and the nature of the planned procedure shall be considered in evaluating a patient for office-based anesthesia.

3. Patients who have pre-existing medical or other conditions that may be of particular risk for complications shall be referred to a facility appropriate for the procedure and administration of anesthesia. Nothing relieves the licensed health care practitioner of the responsibility to make a medical determination of the appropriate surgical facility or setting.

C. Office-based anesthesia shall only be provided for patients in physical status classifications for Classes I, II and III. Patients in Classes IV and V shall not be provided anesthesia in an office-based setting.