Here are nine recent updates in the technological, clinical, legal and business aspects of the anesthesia industry:
Technology and clinical care
1. As the demand for outpatient procedures increases and anesthesia care expands beyond the traditional operating room setting, anesthesia leaders are exploring new technologies to support more comprehensive pain management.
Vijay Sudheendra, MD, president of Narragansett Bay Anesthesia in Providence, R.I., told Becker’s that his practice is evaluating the use of cryoanalgesia to bolster pain management after surgeries.
“What we are doing is we are actually freezing some of the nerves that supply the knee joint, and those nerves are numb for about three months,” he said. “And these patients can actually participate in physical therapy, movement, [have] less pain, less opioids. We have seen that these patients who have received cryoanalgesia take less opioids.”
2. Specialty pharmaceutical company PharmaTher Holdings’ drug application for ketamine received a June 4 approval goal date, advancing approval of the drug in the U.S.
3. A study published Feb. 22 in Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications found that opioid-sparing anesthesia cut down on opioid-related adverse events in cardiac surgery and may also improve post-procedure recovery.
Policy
1. Two U.S. Representatives, Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., and Jen Kiggans, R-Va., have introduced legislation that would allow certified registered nurse anesthetists and physician anesthesiologists to provide anesthesia autonomously at the Veterans Health Administration.
2. The House has introduced a new funding bill to keep the government running through Sept. 30, but notably missing is a fix to the 2.83% cut to Medicare physician reimbursement.
“On behalf of the nation’s anesthesiologists, I am extremely disappointed in the lack of a ‘doc Fix’ in the funding package released over the weekend,” Donald Arnold, MD, president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, said in a news release shared with Becker’s. “Every day, our highly skilled anesthesiologists, whether involved in anesthesia, critical care or pain medicine services, provide safe, high-quality care to tens of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries. Yet, right now, these physicians are again the subject of a punitive payment cut. The current cut, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, is more than 2%, not factoring in inflation.”
3. Illinois, Washington and Florida all recently updated their laws related to anesthesia and the practice of certified registered nurse anesthetists.
Business and workforce
1. Greenville, S.C.-based Bon Secours has expanded its ongoing relationship with North American Partners in Anesthesia through a partnership with Bon Secours Harbour View Medical Center in Suffolk, Va.
2. This year, Sutter Health is launching an anesthesia residency program, starting with 10 new residents. Every year thereafter, Sutter will be adding more residents to the program to help strengthen the pipeline in Northern California, he added.
3. The Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement with Welsh, Carson, Anderson and Stowe, the private equity firm backing U.S. Anesthesia Partners. In its original complaint, the FTC alleged WCAS, through its portfolio company USAP, participated in an anticompetitive scheme to consolidate anesthesiology practices in Texas and increase prices to patients for profit.
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