Physician shortages are prevalent in every healthcare specialty, causing worry for patients and executives alike. One major concern for practices is a decline in available anesthesia providers. 

Here are three anesthesiologist or anesthesia-related stories to know since Aug. 17:

Here are two anesthesia legal battles in the headlines that Becker's has reported on since Sept. 5:  

The highest paid anesthesiologist in Los Angeles earns $721,900 per year, according to Medscape's salary reporter tool, which is much higher than the mean annual wage of $302,970 anesthesiologists make according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A Fort Lewis, Wash.-based military anesthesiologist Michael Stockin, MD, at Joint Base Lewis McChord has been charged by the Army with alleged sexual assault, Fox affiliate KCPQ reported Sept. 1. 

A Sioux City, Iowa-based anesthesiologist, Dale Klein, MD, who was fired from MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center in December 2021, is alleging in a lawsuit that he was blacklisted by the hospital's administrators to prevent him from getting another job, SiouxCity Journal reported Sept. 1.

U.S. Anesthesia Partners has appointed Len Wright, the current president, to serve as the new CEO, according to an Aug. 28 report from Dallas Innovates.

Anesthesiologists with up to seven years of experience practicing in Denver earn an average of $366,428 a year, making it the highest-paying city for early-career anesthesia specialists in the U.S.

Here are three states that have updated their policies for certified registered nurse anesthetists in 2023, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology:

The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology presented seven annual recognition awards, each honoring one individual who has made "significant contributions to the development of nurse anesthesia in the United States," according to the AANA.

A certified registered nurse anesthetist allegedly misappropriated patients' anesthesia or painkillers, resulting in patients leaving surgery awake and in pain, according to an Aug. 21 report from Iowa Capital Dispatch.

Precision Anesthesia Billing has filed a notice of data breach with HHS after an incident affected the personal information of 209,200 individuals, according to an Aug. 7 article from law firm Console and Associates published on JDSupra.

There is a difference between billing companies and collection agencies, and anesthesia practices should know the difference in order to set appropriate expectations, according to an Aug. 14 blog post from Rita Astani, president of anesthesia for Coronis Health. 

In its Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule, CMS is floating several coding changes that anesthesia leaders should know, according to an Aug. 7 blog post from Rita Astani, president of anesthesia for Coronis Health. 

Research has revealed that many trauma patients have been receiving tranexamic acid without displaying any data-driven indication for the medication, according to an Aug. 17 report from Anesthesiology News.

Here are five compensation statistics anesthesiologists should know, using data from Medscape:

On average, anesthesiologists nationwide earn $448,000 a year, according to the most recent data from Medscape. However, the highest paid anesthesiologists in cities including New York City and Los Angeles make far more, with salaries surpassing $550,000. 

The American Medical Association stands in support of physician-led healthcare teams, and has spent years fighting scope creep in all of its forms. 

Outpatient care centers are the top-paying practice setting for anesthesiologists in the U.S., according to salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Here are three anesthesiologist-related stories Becker's has reported on since Aug. 3.