Anesthesiologists and surgeons share the same operating room but face different pressures. Building a strong alliance between the two specialties is key to improving OR efficiency, patient outcomes and financial performance.
Here are five keys to forging a functional anesthesiologist-surgeon alliance:
1. Adopt care team models to expand capacity: Health systems are increasingly leaning on anesthesia care team models that integrate anesthesiologists, CRNAs, anesthesiologist assistants and residents to address workforce shortages and support surgical growth.
“The care team model means working with AAs, CRNAs and residents and treating them as the partners they are,” Daniel Roke, MD, chair of the department of anesthesiology and critical care at Saint Louis University, told Becker’s. “Organizations must recognize that they have a lot of expertise and training that they can bring to bear.”
2. Culture change to strengthen trust: Even with staffing solutions, cultural barriers can prevent surgeons and anesthesiologists from fully aligning.
Patience is absolutely necessary for effective change management, said Daniel Fagin, MD, medical director of the department of anesthesiology at Evaston, Ill.-based Endeavor Health.
“In the end, a lot of it has to do with some sort of cultural component,” Dr. Fagin told Becker’s. “You must recognize that culture doesn’t change in a day, a week or even a year. It could be a couple of years before you can implement a new culture.”
3. Integrate real-time metrics and visibility into workflow: Hospitals are deploying tools to give both anesthesiologists and surgeons greater visibility into OR schedules — like first case on time starts, room turnover rates, OR capacity usage and patient flow.
Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center implemented a minute-by-minute coordination platform (ORControl) to display case status, personnel location and schedule gaps, enabling teams to shift resources or prep cases more dynamically.
4. Increase workforce sustainability and retention: Surgeon-anesthesia collaboration depends on stable staffing. Several health systems have had to cut procedural volume due to anesthesia provider shortages, ultimately straining surgeon scheduling and patient access.
Addressing staffing challenges head-on helps ensure surgeons can reliably book cases and prevent care delays for patients.
5. Align financial and operational strategies: Accurate documentation and revenue cycle management protect both specialties from payer disputes and safeguard case profitability. Surgeons and anesthesiologists alike benefit from reliable, compliant billing systems that keep ORs running smoothly. This symbiosis has spurred some organizations to insource anesthesia coverage, offer equity to partner groups and adopt other creative approaches.
