Becker's ASC Review

28 ANESTHESIA What's the biggest opportunity for growth in anesthesiology? By Patsy Newitt F or one CEO, the biggest opportunity for growth is a joint ven- ture between ASC owners and anesthesia providers. Four leaders in anesthesiology spoke with Becker's ASC Review on the biggest growth opportunities within the industry. Editor's note: ese answers were edited lightly for clarity. Question: What's the biggest opportunity for growth in anesthesiology? Darin Rentz, DO. CEO of Ortho Anesthesia Specialists: e big- gest opportunity for growth in anesthesia is a joint venture between anesthesia and surgery center owners. is enables a synergistic approach to increase throughput, decrease narcotic utilization, con- trol pharmaceutical costs, have dedicated anesthesia providers, and improve patient care and experience. Mark Casner. CEO of Providence Anesthesiology Associates (Charlotte, N.C.): At the risk of stating the obvious, our best growth opportunities are at the ASC level, as well as office-based anesthesia. Scott Harper, MD. Assistant Professor of the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at University of Ala- bama at Birmingham: Obviously, ASCs are growing by leaps and bounds, and it appears that will continue for the foreseeable future. Jonathan Beathe, MD. Assistant Clinical Director of the Depart- ment of Anesthesiology at the Hospital for Special Surgery (New York City): One of the biggest opportunities for growth in the field of anesthesiology is improving the experience of care postdischarge. With trends toward shorter length of stay and the disruptive innova- tion of telemedicine, there is tremendous opportunity for anesthesi- ologists to demonstrate our value. Modernized analgesic strategies that minimize or even eliminate the use of opioids, including the use of continuous peripheral nerve blocks, have the added potential benefit of reducing the incidence of chronic postsurgical pain. As the trend toward outpatient total joint replacements continues, it is not enough to be satisfied with acceptable patient safety metrics. At my institution, we continue to optimize enhanced recovery pathways to focus on outcomes that matter to our patients. n Physicians Partners of America expands anesthesia services to ASCs By Marcus Robertson T ampa-based Physicians Partners of America is expanding its anesthesia division to offer ser- vices to both hospitals and ASCs. Ronald Hayes, MD, will lead the division. "The biggest problem I see today in anesthesia is a supply/demand problem," Dr. Hayes said in a news release. "The supply is low, and the demand is high. This leads to burnout among providers. Also there is a perception that existing national providers are taking advantage of anesthesia providers, i.e. long hours and low compensation." Dr. Hayes said he hopes to use his background in engi- neering and mathematics to make anesthesia schedul- ing more efficient. n 4 anesthesia industry updates By Patsy Newitt A n Illinois hospital had to postpone elective surgeries for almost three weeks because of a lack of anesthesia providers. Here are four anesthesia industry updates to know: 1. Elgin, Ill.-based Advocate Sherman Hospital is postponing elective surgeries for almost three weeks because of a lack of anesthesia providers. 2. Tampa-based Physicians Partners of America is expanding its anesthesia division to offer services to both hospitals and ASCs. Ronald Hayes, MD, will lead the division. 3. Five leaders in anesthesiology spoke with Becker's on what they see as the biggest opportunity for growth in anesthesiology. 4. Here's how NorthStar Anesthesia's CEO expects the aging physician population to impact anesthesiolo- gists. n

• Cover