Leaders in anesthesia, especially those in the outpatient setting, are juggling numerous challenges amid workforce shortages, declining reimbursements and costly inefficiencies.
Jeff Tieder, MSN, CRNA, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga recently joined Becker’s to discuss his plans for combating the industry’s various challenges in 2026.
Editor’s note: This response has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
How are you thinking about or approaching the anesthesia shortage in 2026? How will this be different from your current approach, if at all?
Jeff Tieder, MSN, CRNA, Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga: The anesthesia shortage in 2026 makes it clear that CRNAs are the long-term solution for anesthesia care delivery. The answer is not continued escalation of labor costs, but more efficient use of a highly trained, full-scope workforce.
The focus is on improving [operating room] throughput, disciplined scheduling, and minimizing non-clinical delays that consume anesthesia capacity. CRNAs are uniquely positioned to lead this approach, particularly in ambulatory and mixed-acuity settings, where they safely manage increasingly complex patients while maintaining access and quality.
