Anesthesia leaders are steering through staffing shortages, payer pressure on reimbursement and rising case complexity in ASCs.
“The vast majority of anesthesia being provided is not generating the revenue to pay for the expenses,” Cory Koenig, DO, told Becker’s in December.
The leaders below include executives at the largest anesthesia groups, the heads of the specialty’s national societies and clinicians reshaping outpatient care models.
Note: This list is not an endorsement of included individuals or organizations and is not a ranking.
Anesthesia group executives
- Adam Spiegel. CEO of Irving, Texas-based NorthStar Anesthesia since 2018. He was previously executive vice president of provider growth at Optum. NorthStar has more than 3,000 providers serving more than 195 facilities in 21 states, according to its owner, Cranemere. It added three Virginia ASC partnerships in May. Mr. Spiegel has pointed to the “continually increasing complexity of cases, combined with rising procedure volume” in ASCs.
- Len Wright. CEO of Dallas-based U.S. Anesthesia Partners, which has more than 4,500 clinicians working in more than 700 facilities, according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists. He took the role Jan. 1, 2024, after serving as USAP’s president. He joined USAP-Texas in 2014. Before that, he founded Global Physics Solutions, according to Becker’s.
- Rafael Cartagena, MD. CEO of North American Partners in Anesthesia, which has about 5,000 affiliated clinicians. He became CEO in January 2023 after serving as executive vice president and COO. He joined NAPA in 2014, when it acquired Total Anesthesia of Richmond, Va.
- Cory Koenig, DO. Vice president of operations at Charlotte, N.C.-based Providence Anesthesiology Associates. He said payer pressure is driving more requests for stipends and income guarantees from hospitals, ASCs and surgical partners. He expects block scheduling and OR utilization to be key cost levers.
- Katy Dean, CRNA. Chief nurse anesthetist at Newport News, Va.-based TKM Anesthesia. She sees “multimodal, regional-first anesthesia as the default standard of care” in outpatient settings. As ASCs take on higher-acuity cases, she said models that reduce opioid use and shorten post-anesthesia care unit stays “will be essential for safety and efficiency.”
Society and clinical leaders
- Jeffrey Mueller, MD. President of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, named Oct. 20 at the society’s annual meeting in San Diego. He is a staff anesthesiologist at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix and an assistant professor at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. He previously served as the ASA’s president-elect and first vice president.
- Patrick Giam, MD. Immediate past president of the ASA and a physician partner at U.S. Anesthesia Partners. He also holds faculty roles at Houston Methodist Academic Institute and Weill Cornell Medical College.
- Tracy Young, MSNA, CRNA. President of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology for 2026-27. He is a co-founder and the COO of Essential Anesthesia Management, which serves more than 130 facilities in five states with more than 1,400 anesthesia providers. He previously served two terms as president of the Louisiana Association of Nurse Anesthesiology.
- Jeffrey Molter, MSN, MBA, CRNA. Immediate past president of the AANA, which has more than 65,000 members. A CRNA for more than 25 years, he practices at the Institute of Orthopedic Surgery in Lima, Ohio, according to the AANA. He co-created the Block Pro app.
- Yassine Moussali, MD. CEO of New York City-based Hoopcare and a practicing anesthesiologist. He is focused on “transforming preoperative evaluation from a cost center into a strategic lever” with digital tools and AI, he told Becker’s.
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.
