Anesthesia

The anesthesia provider shortage has been a plague on ASCs and health systems alike. 

Government officials from Florida, Colorado, Delaware, Missouri and California have all made efforts to topple supervision requirements for certified registered nurse anesthetists.

While demand for anesthesia services has skyrocketed, Medicare reimbursements have shrunk, according to VMG Health's 2023 "Physician Alignment: Tips & Trends" report. 

ASCs were overwhelmed by anesthesiologist shortages and anesthesia price hikes in 2023. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut are calling for U.S. Anesthesia Partners and its private equity partner Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe to answer for what a federal agency called an "anticompetitive scheme." 

Florida lawmakers Rep. Mike Giallombardo and Sen. Blaise Ingoglia are proposing legislation that would eliminate the current requirement for certified registered nurse anesthetists to have a written supervisory agreement with a physician, The Capitolist reported Dec. 4.

Katherine Grichnik, MD, chief of anesthesiology services at SCA Health, has joined the strategic advisory board at healthcare tech-enabled solutions firm Surgical Directions. 

Former Los Angeles-based anesthesiologist Stephen Kyo-Sung Kim, MD, was ordered to be released Dec. 4 following two years in prison in connection with a 2021 guilty plea to involuntary manslaughter in the death of a fellow physician during surgery, according…

Every year brings several changes in the healthcare industry, and 2024 is shaping up to be no exception. Heading into the new year, anesthesiologists plan to grow their skill sets, expand ASC partnerships and improve payer relations.  

Portland, Ore.-based Providence Portland Medical Center and Providence St. Vincent Medical Center have had to cancel several hundred surgeries amid a shortage of anesthesia providers, The Oregonian reported Nov. 30.