Navigating the anesthesia provider shortage: 5 notes for ASC leaders

During an interactive session at Becker’s 29th Annual ASC Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, Peter H. Doerner, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer for North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA), led a group of ASC healthcare leaders in discussion about the challenges faced by the healthcare industry due to a shortage of anesthesia clinicians.

This new reality is attributed in part to a lack of new medical residencies, an increase in demand for anesthesia services in outpatient settings, and a drop in actively employed anesthesia providers due to retirement or career changes. More than 2,872 anesthesiologists left the workforce from 2021 to 2022. The shortage has led to supply-and-demand pressures of increased clinical compensation for providers and has also resulted in some providers reducing their working hours.

The discussion also highlighted the need for additional nurse anesthetist training programs nationwide and the potential for clinical locations to serve as rotation sites for these students.  The session also touched on the need for strategies to mitigate costs and the impact of the shortage on certain service lines.

To read more, click here for the five key takeaways.