U.S. Anesthesia Partners filed a lawsuit against UnitedHealthcare, and a hospital is replacing anesthesiologists with certified registered nurse anesthetists.
Here are seven anesthesia updates:
1. Irving, Texas-based NorthStar Anesthesia has expanded to serve new hospitals, surgical centers and healthcare systems in Delaware, Montana and Texas.
2. Watertown (Wis.) Regional Medical Center has shifted its anesthesia structure, replacing anesthesiologists with CRNAs.
3. U.S. Anesthesia Partners, a Dallas-based physician-owned anesthesia practice, filed a lawsuit against UnitedHealthcare over claims of anti-competitive actions, among other actions.
4. CRH Medical acquired a majority ownership stake in Little Rock-based Middle Arkansas Sedation Associates, a gastroenterology-focused anesthesia practice.
5. Melville, N.Y.-based North American Partners in Anesthesia is expanding anesthesia services to more Virginia patients through its partnership with Bon Secours-Richmond (Va.), a subsidiary of Bon Secours Mercy Health.
6. The Food and Drug Administration approved Pacira's supplemental new drug application to expand the use of its long-acting local anesthetic, Exparel, in children.
7. NorthStar Anesthesia began providing services at Baptist Health Hardin in Elizabethtown, Ky.