At the 20th Annual Spine, Orthopedic + Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference, the audience was presented with a unique opportunity to learn from experts on anesthesia partnerships.
Attendees gathered to hear from Matthew Meyer, Critical Care Anesthesiologist at the University of Virginia Health System, Solomon Aronson, MD, MBA, Emeritus Professor from the Department of Anesthesiology at Duke University and President of PeriOptions, LLC, Greg Schooler, Chief Operating Officer of Cincinnati GI, Inc, and Riz Hatton, Assistant Editor of Becker's Healthcare, who moderated the panel.
The panelists discussed what it takes to be great in the world of anesthesia partnerships. They touched on topics such as the complexity of anesthesia relationships, the importance of understanding the pain management landscape, and the need for increased collaboration between ASCs and anesthesiologists. The panelists provided insights on how to optimize anesthesia services within ASCs and the strategies needed to ensure successful anesthesia partnerships.
Key Takeaways:
- Defining the kind of anesthesia partnership is important, and key components include communication, trust, and respect.
- When looking for an anesthesia partner, adaptability, long-term commitment, accountability, flexibility, and communication are important, as well as in-network status and avoiding buyouts due to anti-kickback issues.
- To recruit and retain anesthesia talent, offer competitive salaries, create a positive work culture, triage patients better, and consider hiring military personnel.
- Anesthesiology providers need to address declining reimbursement rates by increasing negotiating stances, documenting risk better, reducing costs, paying attention to contracting, and fostering collaboration between MD anesthesiologists and CRNAs.