Faced with rising healthcare costs and an increasing number of patient procedures, medical centers are concerned about scaling up their anesthesia department to address these needs. They ask themselves: How much will it cost us to hire additional anesthesia staff? Who will handle the anesthesia billing? What is our liability associated with doing it all in-house? Hiring an outside anesthesia services provider answers all of these questions
If you are an office-based surgeon, ambulatory surgery center or hospital, you will be relieved to know that when outsourced, you don’t pay for anesthesia services! Since it is a service requested by the patient the cost is borne by him/her, the insurance company or the HMO. Anesthesia providers like Steel City Anesthesia are no cost to you. In fact, they can actually help you boost your revenue!
The specific anesthesia care model you adopt (CRNA, physician anesthesiologist or an anesthesiologist supervising one or more CRNAs), will determine how much the patient pays. A recent study published in the May/June 2010 issue of the Journal of Nursing Economics revealed that using a solo CRNA for anesthesia delivery is the most cost-effective. Companies that provide anesthesia services have been using this model for years for exactly this reason. By hiring them, you will quickly gain all of the benefits without any of the administrative hassles.
Who is liable?
Don’t stress about liability either! Outsourced CRNAs and anesthetists are independent licensed medical professionals who are accountable for their practice. Did you know that anesthesia delivery is no longer the liability (and does not require supervision) of the medical center? It’s the anesthesia provider who is liable. If you’re concerned about reputation, working with an established anesthesia management company eliminates these concerns. Ensure that your outsourced anesthesia service only hires accredited and dedicated CRNAs/anesthetists.
What about billing?
Anesthesia billing can be confusing, but anesthesia accounting specialists navigate the complexities and make sure the paperwork is in order. You needn’t be concerned about paying the anesthesia providers either. That is the patient’s and their insurance company’s responsibility. Not only that, you have an additional medical person on your team for free!
Do you have questions about anesthesia liability, payments and billing? Ask us on this blog.