Of all the physician specialties that are likely to keep hospital administrators awake at night, anesthesia usually isn’t high on the list. Perhaps it’s because the hospital doesn’t depend on anesthesiologists to bring in patient volumes, so there’s no need to worry about them redirecting patient volumes elsewhere. Or maybe the specialty tends to attract medical students who have more amicable and easygoing personalities.
Whatever the reason, anesthesiologists generally are good team players who keep a fairly low profile. In a sense they’re like a hospital’s plumbing or electricity: there when you need them, usually requiring little maintenance, but having dire consequences should they suddenly become unavailable.
The prospect of such consequences often surfaces when the anesthesiologists inform the hospital executives that their group needs a large increase in financial support—urgently— in order to be financially viable. Typically, though not always, this occurs in conjunction with the renewal of the anesthesia services agreement.
Published January 14, 2022
