According to the National Business Group on Health, in a survey of 46 large employers, 17 percent have a narrow network already in place. In addition, 44 percent were considering narrow network health plans for implementation between 2015 and 2017. This year, about half of plans sold on Health Insurance Exchanges have been narrow network plans, according to a McKinsey study. Here are three things to know about the interplay between narrow networks and anesthesia practices from Anesthesia Business Consultants:
1. Narrow networks threaten to exclude anesthesiologists and other physicians. Elimination of an anesthesia group from a hospital or ASC can effectively mean the end of that group. Focusing on improvements in cost and quality of anesthesia services can help combat the threat of elimination from a network.
2. Operating overhead is an important opportunity to reduce expenses in the revenue cycle. Other opportunities for reducing costs may include working with facilities at which care is provided to identify cost-saving areas to address, such as clinician staffing volumes.
3. Benchmarking for quality and efficiency can help administrators understand the point at which payments are too low to cover an anesthesia group's costs — and to negotiate upward if necessary.
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1. Narrow networks threaten to exclude anesthesiologists and other physicians. Elimination of an anesthesia group from a hospital or ASC can effectively mean the end of that group. Focusing on improvements in cost and quality of anesthesia services can help combat the threat of elimination from a network.
2. Operating overhead is an important opportunity to reduce expenses in the revenue cycle. Other opportunities for reducing costs may include working with facilities at which care is provided to identify cost-saving areas to address, such as clinician staffing volumes.
3. Benchmarking for quality and efficiency can help administrators understand the point at which payments are too low to cover an anesthesia group's costs — and to negotiate upward if necessary.
More Articles on Anesthesia:
Texas Tech El Paso Anesthesiologists Provide Services for Sierra Providence Health
Dr. Michael Heine Goes to Rwanda With ASA's Global Humanitarian Outreach Initiative
Tufts Medical Center Implements Plexus Anesthesia Touch System