Crowe Dunlevy represented a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) and a rural hospital in an administrative proceeding before the Oklahoma Board of Nursing involving the scope of practice under the Oklahoma Interventional Pain Management Act. The matter centered on whether the CRNA could lawfully perform an advanced pain-management procedure, with multiple healthcare professions and regulatory stakeholders taking differing positions on the issue. Following a contested evidentiary hearing, the Firm successfully demonstrated that the procedure at issue fell outside the statutory limitations applicable to the treatment of chronic pain and was therefore permissible within the client’s practice.
The Board ultimately declined to impose any disciplinary action against the CRNA. The result preserved the client’s professional standing, avoided significant licensure and insurance consequences, and protected the hospital’s ability to continue delivering specialized healthcare services to its community.