Why Choose AASA?
Austin Area Surgical Assistants is Tina Linsalata, a highly trained and experienced surgical assistant who has been providing surgical assisting services to surgeons and patients in the Austin, Texas area for over 28 years.
Quality Service
Tina is a Board Certified Perioperative Nurse and a Nationally Certified RN First Assistant with a CRNFA Certification.
Easy Billing
Our payment system is quick and easy to use, supports HSA cards, and is 100% Secure. We also never store or save card information.
Privacy Focused
We never save or store any Credit/Debit/HSA card information. We use Authorize.net, a trusted and well established payment processor.
Tina Linsalata
RN, BSN, CNOR, CRNFA
"I believe in treating every patient with respect and providing them with exceptional care. I treat every patient and staff member as if they were family. The patient is someone's mother, daughter, father, son, or grandparent. I provide the surgeon with any surgical assistance he/she may need, pre-operative, post-operative, and most importantly intra-operative to provide a safe operation with optimum outcomes."
About Tina
Tina is a licensed Registered Nurse in the states of Texas and New York. She obtained her CRNFA credentials in 1998 by attending formal academic training and completing over 2000 hours of practice in Perioperative patient care. Mrs. Linsalata has passed the National Certification Exam for CRNFA's, maintains her skills with continuing Medical Education credits, and remains current on the new techniques and advances in surgery.
Additional Information
In addition, Tina is a Board Certified Perioperative Nurse, and is a Nationally Certified RN First Assistant. She is a member of the Association of Perioperative Nurses (AORN), a member of the Specialty Assembly of RNFA's, a member of the Texas RNFA Network, member of Sigma Theta Tau International, Omicron Delta Chapter, Co-Founder of SAFE (Surgical Assistants for Everyone, Association of Austin, Texas), and a member of The Society of Robotic Surgery.In addition, Tina is a Board Certified Perioperative Nurse, and is a Nationally Certified RN First Assistant. She is a member of the Association of Perioperative Nurses (AORN), a member of the Specialty Assembly of RNFA's, a member of the Texas RNFA Network, member of Sigma Theta Tau International, Omicron Delta Chapter, Co-Founder of SAFE (Surgical Assistants for Everyone, Association of Austin, Texas), and a member of The Society of Robotic Surgery.
Experience
Tina assists in approximately 700 surgery cases a year, is well versed in Obstetric and Gynecologic Surgery, and is a Certified RN First Assistant in Minimally Invasive Laparoscopic Surgery including: LSH, TLH, Single Incision Surgery, and da Vinci Robotic Surgery. She has trained in Alabama for Pelvic Surgery, attends annual Robotic conferences, and has been the primary CRNFA for Austin Area OB/GYN for 29 years. She is also an active assistant for The Texas Institute for Robotic Surgery of North Austin Medical Center. Additionally, she enjoys General, Orthopedics, Urology, Plastic, and ENT Surgeries.
Background
Tina is originally from New York and has been living in Austin for 26 years. She is married to Philip Linsalata and has 3 beautiful daughters. In her personal time, she enjoys boating on Lake Travis, swimming, and spending time with her family.
CRNFA
National Assistant at Surgery Certification
The Role of the CRNFA
The certified registered nurse first assistant (CRNFA) is a technically skilled and highly educated nursing professional who renders direct patient care as a part of the peri-operative nursing process.
Peri-operatively, she provides personalized patient interaction by explaining the procedures to patients, and educating them in pre and post operative care.
Intra-operatively, the CRNFA functions interdependently with the operating surgeon. The CRNFA provides her skills, knowledge and judgment in performing a safe operation that yields optimal results for the patient.
The quality and value of the services provided by CRNFAs are recognized by physicians and institutional employers in all surgical settings and specialties. CRNFAs are nationally recognized by the American College of Surgeons, The Association of Perioperative Nurses (AORN), The American Nurses Association, and all State Boards of Nursing. The scope of practice for CRNFAs is regulated by the individual state's Nurse Practice Act.
According to the terms of your insurance contract, you will be responsible for any costs related to the use of a CRNFA in your surgery.
The Impact of a CRNFA
The health care dollar is shrinking. Rates are rising, benefits are reduced. Insurance companies are aggressively looking for ways to "save" money. Changes are reaching behind closed doors and impacting the operating room.
Traditionally, your surgeon would choose to use a second surgeon, if the complexity of the surgery warranted a second physician. Today, many insurance companies are refusing to pay for a second surgeon, or the reimbursement is so minimal that is it not financially possible to "hire" a second surgeon.
One viable solution for dealing with this problem has been the evolution of a highly specialized nurse known as a CRNFA. A Certified Registered Nurse First Assistant is reimbursed at lower rates than surgeons who assist in surgery, yet often provide a continuum of care superior to that of an assistant surgeon. CRNFAs not only assist in surgery, but aid in patient counseling and education. This will help reduce the frequency and length of costly hospital stays. In addition, a CRNFA serves as a communication expert in the operating room, making sure the entire surgical team has the proper equipment and timing for your operation.
Contact
Location:
9600 Escarpment Blvd, Ste 745, #200
Austin, TX 78749
Call:
+1 817-907-7650