Irving, Texas-based NorthStar Anesthesia is warning that the recent calm in anesthesia staffing may not last, as the company reports evaluating three times as many Dallas-Fort Worth partnerships in the fourth quarter of 2026 compared to the first quarter.
After years of post-pandemic staffing disruption, the anesthesia market has settled into a period of relative calm. NorthStar CEO Adam Spiegel said that calm has led some hospitals to put off reviewing their anesthesia arrangements.
“Stability today doesn’t guarantee stability tomorrow,” Mr. Spiegel said. “We’re already seeing a meaningful shift in activity in some markets.”
The company noted the increase of partnerships reflects its own pipeline, not the broader market.
NorthStar pointed to two hospitals where anesthesia demand shifted quickly. At Mercy Health Perrysburg (Ohio) Hospital, emergency department volume doubled after a nearby emergency department closed. At Texas Health Mansfield, NorthStar rebuilt the program after a provider transition, growing the team from one anesthesiologist and three certified registered nurse anesthetists to one anesthesiologist and nine CRNAs. Surgical volume there has risen nearly 20% year over year.
“That kind of agility doesn’t happen overnight,” said Josh Lumbley, MD, of NorthStar Anesthesia. “It has to be built into the partnership from the beginning.”
Mr. Spiegel said leaders should ask whether their anesthesia programs can support what their hospitals will need six months to two years from now, not just whether they work today.
NorthStar has more than 4,000 anesthesiologists and CRNAs serving more than 280 client sites in more than 20 states.
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