Anesthesia

  An Oct. 26 study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found a vast difference between private and Medicare payments for anesthesia services.

Anesthesiologist Pramila Byahatti, MD, lost her medical license after she allegedly overprescribed opioids without a medical basis, the STL News reports.

On average, private insurers paid more than 3.5 times what Medicare paid for anesthesia services in 2018, the U.S. Government Accountability Office concluded in a 23-page report published Oct. 26.

  A certified registered nurse anesthetist at Aiken (S.C.) Regional Medical Centers was awarded $1,000 for a research project, according to an Oct. 26 report from the Aiken Standard.

  Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Endonovo Therapeutics announced a new awareness campaign for its FDA-cleared pain relief solution for patients post-surgery, according to an Oct. 8 press release.

St. Louis (Mo.) County Executive Sam Page, MD, could be violating a county charter by continuing to practice as an anesthesiologist at St. Louis-based Mercy Hospital, according to local outlets ABC KMOV4 and NBC 5 On Your Side.

Pacira BioSciences opened the Pacira Innovation and Training Center of Tampa (Fla.) to train physicians on non-opioid pain management options, the company announced Oct. 21.

As of September, there was no physician supervision requirement for nurse anesthetists in ambulatory surgical facilities across 31 states and Washington, D.C., according to information provided to Becker's ASC Review by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists.

Houston anesthesiologist Rezik Saqer, MD, received a seven-year prison sentence Oct. 9 for his role in a $5 million healthcare fraud scheme tied to "multiple patient deaths," according to the Department of Justice.

Beverly Philip, MD, was installed as president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.