As staffing pressures, reimbursement shifts and rising case complexity reshape anesthesia nationwide, ASCs are rethinking how to structure their anesthesia coverage heading into 2026.
In its “ASC Leader Expectations for 2026” survey, VMG Health outlined which anesthesia models are most likely to dominate the market next year.
Here are five takeaways from the survey:
- Independent contractor models lead the way forward: 44% of respondents said they expected to use an independent contractor with a stipend model in 2026, making it the most common approach projected for next year.
“Anesthesia is now a cost for many ASCs that previously did not have to subsidize their providers. With increasing anesthesia shortages, increasing salaries and stagnant reimbursement, ASCs are now subsidizing anesthesia,” Traci Albers, CEO of Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Surgical Management Professionals, told Becker’s.
- Another 36% expect to use independent contractors without stipends.
When combined, more than 80% of ASCs anticipate relying on contractor-based anesthesia arrangements.
- Only 9% of ASC leaders said they plan to staff anesthesia through a traditional employment agreement in 2026.
- Alternative anesthesia structures remain uncommon. Just 4% anticipate using a joint venture partner model, while 1% expect to implement an RN conscious sedation program.
- A minority anticipates using another model: 5% of leaders said they would use something outside the standard categories listed.
