Securing anesthesia providers is becoming increasingly difficult for ASCs and hospitals across the country amid increasing shortages and plummeting reimbursements.
Here are five hospitals that have delayed or canceled surgeries due to anesthesia provider shortages or compliance issues:
— Modesto, Calif.-based Stanislaus Surgical Hospital was found to be out of compliance with certain Medicare conditions of participation following a survey from the California Public Health Department after reports of patient harm. According to The Modesto Bee, dozens of CRNAs have been laid off at the hospital and hundreds of surgeries have been canceled or rescheduled.
The hospital was cited for issues including handling patient emergencies following surgeries, infection prevention, sterilization processes, governance and use of CRNAs in place of anesthesiologists.
— Also in June, Modesto, Calif.-based Doctors Medical Center was cited for immediate jeopardy by CMS for using certified registered nurse anesthetists to sedate and monitor surgical patients. The hospital has been canceling and rescheduling dozens of procedures as the California Department of Public Health investigates complaints
— In May, Marshfield Medical Center paused deliveries at its Rice Lake, Wis.-based hospital due to anesthesia shortades.
The Eau Claire, Wis.-based system said in May it has seen a 47% increase in emergency department patients and a 160% increase in deliveries in the last month after two local hospitals shut down. Hospital Sisters Health System permanently closed its hospitals in Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire in March, leaving the cities with only two options for emergency medical care: Marshfield and Mayo Clinic Health System.
— In February, The Oregonian reported that surgeries at two Providence hospitals were down by almost 50% in December and January amid an anesthesiologist shortage. The delay comes after the hospitals' anesthesia staffing was taken over by a private equity-backed physician staffing firm, which did not have enough staffers to handle the volume of the two Portland, Ore.-based hospitals.
A spokesperson told The Oregonian that the group is making good progress, despite the hospitals performing 3,653 surgeries in December and January versus 7,108 the year prior.