The Daily Item: Geisinger anesthetist chosen for National Disaster Medical System team

By Eric Scicchitano | escicchitano@dailyitem.com

December 19, 2021

Christopher Heiss, an anesthetist with Geisinger, has been chosen to join the National Disaster Medical System’s Trauma and Critical Care Team. He’ll be sworn in this January. Christopher Heiss, an anesthetist with Geisinger, has been chosen to join the National Disaster Medical System’s Trauma and Critical Care Team. He’ll be sworn in this January. 📷: courtesy of Geisinger

Christopher Heiss, an anesthetist with Geisinger, long desired to serve the U.S. in a uniformed capacity but his career in medicine ultimately kept him from joining the military.

However, Heiss, 32, of Bloomsburg, eyed serving with a distinguished federal medical unit and after several tries, has been chosen to join the National Disaster Medical System’s Trauma and Critical Care Team. He’ll be sworn in this January.

“For me, it’s me playing a part that I grew up around,” Heiss said, referring to relatives who served the armed forces. “It just so happens the service I would provide is very unique to the skill set that I have. Everything I’ve learned throughout my career, it’s all right there.”

Heiss’s career began as an emergency medical technician. He then studied to become a paramedic and later worked as a flight paramedic in Western Pennsylvania. In time, he earned a degree as a registered nurse. He served as an intensive care unit nurse at Geisinger before becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist in 2019.

In 2020, Heiss, a husband and father of one, helped develop an intubation shield deployed throughout Geisinger’s system to help protect frontline workers from contracting COVID-19.

Over the years, Heiss said he tried to catch the attention of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), which is operated through the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. About 80 health care professionals belong to the NDMS Trauma and Critical Care Team (TCCT). The size and credentials necessary make it a difficult job to obtain.

Members of the National Disaster Medical System are deployed to national and international emergencies like natural disasters, public health emergencies and terrorist attacks. They lead or supplement medical care and other emergency services when resources are stressed or compromised.

Along with TCCTs, NDMS consists of Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) — several of which recently deployed following deadly tornadoes in Kentucky and elsewhere in the Midwest — along with Disaster Mortuary Operations Response Teams, Victim Information Center Teams and National Veterinary Response Teams.

TCCT team members include physicians in critical care and emergency medicine, surgeons, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, nurse anesthetists, paramedics, respiratory therapists, radiology technologists, surgical technologists and pharmacists.

“The first-in people who could care for critically ill and injured people,” as Heiss described them.

“We are strictly a federal asset. We serve the president, the vice president and any associated diplomats,” Heiss said, noting that despite being federal assets, they work with state and local professionals.

Teams range from 9 to 48 members each. They’re tasked to conduct specific trauma-related tasks at field hospitals and established facilities such as providing critical care, surgery, advanced trauma life support and much more.

Heiss once felt like he’d never join the TCCT. In February 2020, he and two other Geisinger professionals published a scholarly article in the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology Journal. It caught the attention of a TCCT member who reached out to Heiss. In time, doubts washed away as Heiss was invited to join.

“Geisinger is committed to supporting all our employees while volunteering in the Uniformed Services. We’re proud that our benefits make it easy for employees to serve both our community and nation,” said Chris Grill, program manager for military and veteran affairs for Geisinger.

There are eight CRNA’s on the TCCT and, Heiss believes, just two in Pennsylvania. He’ll remain employed with Geisinger and leaves for up to two weeks at a time when assigned a deployment.

Heiss said his diverse career portfolio prepared him for this. He’s worked in the streets and in hospital settings, handling sometimes uncontrolled and chaotic situations and remaining calm and on task. He said he feels prepared to join TCCT and thanked Geisinger for its support.

“It’s not really a matter of if but when some type of global event occurs and I need to leave suddenly,” Heiss said.

AFP-PA Praises Gov. Wolf Signature on Nursing Compact and CRNA Title Designation Bills

JUL 1, 2021 BY AFP

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Today, Americans for Prosperity-Pennsylvania (AFP-PA) applauds Gov. Wolf’s decision to sign these two key bills into law will expand access to health care across the Commonwealth. The grassroots group supported these bills that will make temporary waivers and licensure flexibilities proven to be effective during COVID-19 permanent.

AFP-PA State Director Ashley Klingensmith issued the following statement:

“Signing these two reforms into law sends a clear signal that our lawmakers in Harrisburg understand the value nurses bring to benefit patients and the need to empower them even more within their respective fields by broadening their reach. We are optimistic that these reforms will inspire additional consideration for further innovations in telemedicine and expanded scope of practice with the Health Care Innovations act. Our lawmakers must continue to pave the way for the removal of additional barriers to continue to increase accessibility to higher quality and more affordable care for Pennsylvanians as we exit the pandemic.”

New Law Clarifies ‘Informed Consent’ Related to Anesthesia Care

Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kurt Knaus; P: 717-724-2866; E: kurt@ceislermedia.com

New Law Clarifies ‘Informed Consent’ Related to Anesthesia Care

Act address unintended consequences of 2017 Supreme Court ruling

HARRISBURG (July 1, 2021) --- Gov. Tom Wolf has enacted a new law that remedies the years-long fallout from a complex ruling by the state’s top court that had the unintended consequence of restricting the administration of anesthesia.

Issues related to “informed consent” were brought about by the state Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (MCare) Act, under the Shinal v. Toms case, regarding a physician’s ability to delegate the duty to obtain the informed consent of a patient prior to specified procedures.

The court’s interpretation, part of a June 20, 2017, ruling, impacted patient care by ruling that only a physician can obtain informed consent.

The ruling had a profound effect on advanced practice providers like certified registered nurse anesthetists, especially those who work without physician anesthesiologists, because it made the surgeon, who is not an anesthesia expert, responsible for talking to a patient about anesthesia care and obtaining their consent.

Anesthesia teams comprising CRNAs and anesthesiologists also were affected. In many cases, CRNAs would obtain their own consents prior to the ruling. But after the court handed down its decision, anesthesiologists had to pulled off other tasks to perform this duty, affecting workplace flow for patient care.

This new law essentially clarifies that while physicians remain responsible for the overall care of their patients, the task of obtaining a patient’s informed consent may be delegated by a physician to a qualified practitioner, including CRNAs.

“We heard from CRNAs across Pennsylvania over the years how this ruling really affected day-to-day procedures, making their work more challenging and causing confusion among patients during what is already a stressful time,” said Matt McCoy, DNP, CRNA, President of the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA), which represents more than 3,700 CRNAs and students in the commonwealth.

The measure (S.B. 425), sponsored by state Sen. John Gordner (R-Columbia), received unanimous approval in both the Senate and House. With the governor’s signature, the legislation now becomes Act 61 of 2021.

For more information about certified registered nurse anesthetists in Pennsylvania, visit www.PANAforQualityCare.com or follow along on social media via Twitter at @PANACRNA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PANACRNA.

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