Anesthesiology groups considering getting involved in COVID-19 services should focus on the preparation phase of care, according to Anesthesia Business Consultants President and CEO Tony Mira.

Readiness to resume elective surgery cases will vary by geographic location, according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Anesthesiologist Ricky Feltman, MD, left behind his routine duties at the Laser and Surgery Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., to join the COVID-19 fight at his former hospital in New York City, WPTV NewsChannel 5 reports.

An industry group representing nurse anesthetists is asking Congress to provide financial support that "reflects the serious risk and strain they are under" during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Melville, N.Y.-based North American Partners in Anesthesia helped bring ventilators to New York providers through a partnership with Air Methods, according to an April 15 announcement.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists is hosting a webinar April 16 to discuss updates related to the COVID-19 crisis.

The FDA on March 27 issued an emergency use authorization allowing anesthesia machines to be modified for use as ventilators.

Four COVID-19-related updates from Anesthesia Business Consultants:

Rockford Anesthesiologists Associated promoted Bryan Newman to chief operating officer, JournalStandard.com reports.

A Nebraska anesthetist is making protective equipment for clinicians intubating COVID-19 patients, local ABC affiliate KLKN TV reports.

University Medical Center of El Paso (Texas) removed an anesthesiologist from the hospital schedule in late March for wearing an N95 face mask in a hospital hallway, but the provider has now been reinstated, KTSM.com reports.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists is hosting a webinar April 2 to provide updates related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health is repurposing medical equipment — including 300 anesthesia machines — into ventilators, according to the New York Post.

An anesthesiologist was arrested March 30 for alleged sexual assault of a patient, the Escondido (Calif.) Police Department announced.

Stanford (Calif.) Medicine anesthesiologist Adam Schlifke, MD, called for a nationwide ban on elective procedures at hospitals and surgery centers in a column for USA Today.

In general anesthesia cases, a patient becomes unconscious or unable to respond for any portion of the procedure. However, some gastroenterology practices instead document cases like these as monitored anesthesia care, according to Anesthesia Business Consultants President and CEO Tony Mira.

Locum tenens physicians are widely misunderstood in the healthcare industry, according to Anesthesia Business Consultants President and CEO Tony Mira.

Anesthesia teams are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 infection, according to Robert Maxwell, MD, a critical care and general surgeon whose statements were reported by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

An anesthesiologist at Reading Hospital in West Reading, Pa., tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, according to local outlet 69 News.

Four things for anesthesiologists to know about the COVID-19 outbreak this week: