With the current conversation in the anesthesia industry being dominated by problems in the space, including staffing and reimbursement, organizations have to readjust their approach.
These four leaders recently connected with Becker’s to talk about some of the new ideas and strategies within the anesthesia industry when it comes to topics including staffing, partnerships and more.
Note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Eric Callan, CRNA. CEO of LifeLinc Anesthesia (Memphis, Tenn.): Selecting an anesthesia partner for your ASC is much different today than in the past. Ideally, your anesthesia partners are much more than just staffing for an OR room. You want a partner that will build an anesthesia culture to “buy-in” to the needs and success of the center. A partner that will offer safe, effective, up-to-date care for their patients while also working internally with ASC management to promote sustainability and growth. A partner with proven success that can provide consults not only medically for the center’s patients, but operationally and analytically through data interpretation and presentation. You want a partner that is transparent and trustworthy; a partner that will openly discuss wasted resources and assist in operational improvements. Today, selecting your anesthesia group is much more than staffing your ORs, it’s about creating a partnership that truly believes that our future success is dependent upon one another.
Megan Friedman, DO. Anesthesiologist and Director of Pacific Coast Anesthesia Consultants (Los Angeles): One major misstep is approaching anesthesia as a plug-and-play service rather than a clinical and operational partner. Not all anesthesia groups bring the same level of quality, alignment or engagement. Another frequent mistake is failing to involve anesthesia leadership early in key decisions like scheduling, staffing and case-mix strategy. Anesthesiologists have a unique, systemwide view of workflow and patient flow — excluding them from these conversations limits the ASCs ability to run efficiently and grow sustainably. Strong anesthesia partnerships start with shared goals, open communication and mutual respect.
Scott Mayer. CEO of Ambulatory Anesthesia Care (Rosemont, Ill.): One of the things we’re trying to educate the space on is, when you do want to bring the Medicare population in — which we’re happy to service, support and take care of — Are you taking into account that there may need to be some financial stipend or support given to the anesthesia side for that specific patient? I feel like people are lumping these bigger, kind of macro situations of, ‘Oh, we need to pay [for] anesthesia …’ when, really, we’re not looking at the root of the problem, which is Medicare reimbursement driven on the anesthesia side, and that utilization needs to be increased as well. We’ve done a lot to make sure — from EMR, Power BI, from our financial reporting, but also from our operational reporting — to [figure out] how we can get down all the nuances and details as to what could be improved, or where things are standing out.
Daniel King, CRNA. Board Director of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (Rosemont, Ill.): We must empower CRNAs to do the work they are educated and prepared to do, and we must rectify discriminatory reimbursement policies that undervalue their contributions. CRNAs are the most cost-effective and widely distributed anesthesia professionals — especially in rural and underserved communities where access to care is most fragile.
The data are clear: CRNAs provide safe, high-quality care and are a proven solution to workforce shortages. Yet outdated reimbursement structures and unnecessary practice restrictions — neither supported by evidence, but perpetuated by certain interest groups for financial gain — continue to hold us back. If we are serious about improving patient access, increasing system efficiency and reducing healthcare costs, it’s time to fully leverage the capabilities of all anesthesia providers delivering direct care. Clinging to legacy hierarchies doesn’t serve patients — it delays progress and wastes resources.
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