Anesthesiologists made on average $472,000 in 2023, a 5% increase from the year prior, according to Medscape's 2024 "Anesthesiologist Compensation Report" published in May.
Despite the jump, around 66% of anesthesiologists think physicians as a whole are unfairly paid and 46% do not feel like they are fairly paid given their work demands. Of the surveyed anesthesiologists, 29% said the most challenging part of their job is the long hours and 18% said it was the influx of rules and regulations.
Many anesthesia providers feel reimbursements and other compensation is not keeping up with the rising costs of living.
CMS anesthesia reimbursements declined 8.2% from 2019 to 2024 — from $22.27 per unit to $20.44, VMG Health said in a May blog post. Another report from Coronis Health found that if an anesthesia provider generates 10,000 billable units from Medicare, the total revenue potential is only $218,000, assuming that all revenue could be collected.
"Anesthesia reimbursements continue to be misunderstood by CMS, insurers and even our own colleagues," Thomas Durick, MD, anesthesiologist at Columbus-based Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Becker's. "We allow the government and insurance companies to dictate what our services are worth (such as the recent bundling of ultrasound services into the most commonly performed regional anesthesia procedures for a reduced total reimbursement). We do the same (or more) work each year for less reimbursement and more challenges to get paid. Until we fight to be seen as more than nameless, faceless plunger pushers with opposable thumbs, we will remain in the shadows."