Compare 80 nurse anesthetists in Portola Valley, CA. Check ratings, insurance, and availability.
Before your procedure, the CRNA will review your medical history, medications, allergies, and previous anesthesia experiences. They will explain the anesthesia plan, answer questions, and start an IV. During the procedure, the CRNA monitors your vital signs continuously, adjusts anesthesia levels, manages your airway, and administers medications as needed. After the procedure, the CRNA manages your recovery from anesthesia, treating nausea and pain as needed. For labor epidurals, the CRNA places the epidural catheter and monitors its effectiveness throughout labor.
You see a CRNA when you need anesthesia for a surgical procedure, a diagnostic procedure requiring sedation (colonoscopy, endoscopy), labor and delivery pain management (epidural), or a pain management procedure (nerve block, epidural steroid injection). In most cases, you do not choose your anesthetist directly; they are assigned by the surgical facility. However, you can ask in advance whether a CRNA or anesthesiologist will be providing your anesthesia, and you will meet your anesthesia provider before the procedure for a pre-anesthesia assessment.
Anesthesia copay: determined by procedure complexity · Typical surgery anesthesia: $500-2,000 (billed to insurance) · Epidural for labor: $1,000-3,000 (covered as maternity) · Out-of-pocket with insurance: $0-200 copay/coinsurance
Anesthesia services from CRNAs are covered by all insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare reimburses CRNA services at the same rate as anesthesiologist services. The most common billing issue is out-of-network anesthesia providers at in-network facilities (surprise billing). The No Surprises Act (effective 2022) protects you from out-of-network anesthesia bills at in-network facilities for most plan types. You should still verify coverage before elective procedures. Anesthesia for labor and delivery is covered as a maternity benefit.