Anesthesia staffing challenges are moving from a persistent operational headache to a defining structural force for ASCs. As workforce shortages persist, labor costs rise and reimbursement pressures intensify, ASC leaders are rethinking clinical models, partnerships and growth strategies to maintain access, efficiency and financial stability.
Anesthesia workforce strain isn’t just a clinical issue, it’s rapidly becoming one of the most significant constraints on ASC operations and expansion.
Here are five developments reshaping how anesthesia staffing pressures are driving change in ASCs:
1. Physician employment is creating structural anesthesia staffing risk: As physician employment accelerates, anesthesia leaders say staffing pressure is increasingly structural rather than clinical.
Jason Hennes, MD, founder of Anesthesia Data Services, told Becker’s provider shortages, rising salary demands and the continued shift toward employed and locum-based work are reshaping how anesthesia groups staff and pay clinicians. More varied contract and reimbursement structures, including hourly and stipend-supported arrangements, are adding complexity and contributing to a more transient workforce, making long-term coverage stability harder to maintain.
2. Anesthesia shortages are pushing ASCs toward CRNA-only and hybrid coverage models: As anesthesia workforce shortages deepen, many ASCs are shifting to CRNA-only or hybrid staffing models to maintain OR access and efficiency.
Provider shortages, reimbursement pressure and burnout are colliding with rising case complexity, threatening room utilization and patient access, particularly in rural markets. Adam Spiegel, CEO of Irving, Texas-based NorthStar Anesthesia, told Becker’s that fewer available providers and rising anesthesia compensation are “at odds” with the growing demand for surgical access, forcing ASCs to adapt coverage models to keep cases moving.
3. Anesthesia staffing shortages are eroding ASC margins and disrupting operations: Anesthesia workforce shortages are creating direct financial and operational consequences for ASCs. With limited anesthesiologist and CRNA availability, centers are absorbing higher wages, subsidies and locum costs while also facing room closures and canceled cases when coverage falls short.
“The biggest challenge we face with anesthesia is the nationwide shortage of anesthesia staff,” Tina Driggers, administrator of DSC Day Surgery Center in Winter Haven, Fla., told Becker’s. “This leads to room closure and cancelling of cases which in turn ends up with economic stresses to the surgery center.”
4. Anesthesia staffing shortages are limiting ASC expansion into higher-acuity procedures: As ASCs push into more complex procedures, anesthesia availability is becoming a decisive constraint.
Inconsistent access to anesthesiologists and CRNAs can delay or derail plans to add advanced service lines, including robotics, navigation-supported orthopedics and other higher-acuity cases that require reliable anesthesia coverage. This challenge is especially acute for suburban and rural ASCs with smaller labor pools, where staffing uncertainty can stall growth, even when patient demand and surgical interest are strong.
5. Anesthesia alignment is becoming a strategic priority for ASC stability: As anesthesia staffing challenges persist, many ASCs are rethinking how they align with anesthesia providers to stabilize coverage and protect access to care.
Centers are exploring closer partnerships through in-house employment, dedicated contracting arrangements or management service agreements as consolidation and private equity ownership reshape the anesthesia market. With anesthesia costs rising and workforce shortages unlikely to ease soon, ASC leaders say stronger alignment and collaboration with anesthesia partners are increasingly critical to sustaining outpatient growth and managing complexity.
