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Anesthesia Economics: Five Levers to Reduce Subsidies 

|OR Optimization

By Ali Ekbatani, DO, MBA, EVP & American Group President, NAPA

Source: This was originally distributed in September 2025 as part of NAPA’s quarterly newsletter, The Anesthesia Impact Report.

Many hospitals are absorbing rising anesthesia subsidies, often without clear insights into what’s driving the cost. While market trends have made some level of support more common, accepting unchecked growth isn’t sustainable. In most cases, underlying issues such as OR inefficiency, staffing mismatches, and revenue shortfalls are accelerating costs, and they can be addressed with the right strategy. 

At NAPA, we work with hospitals to transform anesthesia from a fixed expense into a strategic, data-driven service line. Rather than chasing incremental savings, we focus on reducing structural waste and strengthening long-term financial stability. Our approach focuses on five critical levers: 

  • Smarter Staffing: We align provider resources with actual case demand. By removing underused shifts, right sizing the team, and introducing flexible scheduling models tied to OR volume, hospitals can reduce labor spend while maintaining high-quality care. 
  • OR Efficiency: Our partners gain greater throughput and reduced per-case costs by improving start-time performance, minimizing turnover delays, and adjusting block allocations based on usage trends, not tradition or preferences. 
  • Revenue Integrity: With anesthesia-specialized RCM systems, we improve documentation quality, reduce claim denials, and accelerate collections. This ensures more revenue is captured and less is left to subsidy. 
  • Labor Cost Controls: Predictive scheduling and strategic recruitment help minimize dependence on premium labor. We help facilities reduce locum spend and overtime exposure by building a more stable, cost-effective workforce. 
  • Actionable Reporting: Our analytics tools provide real-time insights into provider productivity, cost-per-unit, and subsidy triggers, enabling hospital leaders to identify trends early and act decisively. 

Our model is not one-size-fits-all. Each solution is tailored to your unique operational realities, surgical mix, and financial goals. With NAPA, you get more than coverage. You gain a performance partner with the scale, systems, and specialty expertise to help you contain costs, improve visibility, and plan with confidence. Let’s continue working together to make your OR a strategic advantage. 

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