Thomas Wherry, MD, medical director of Health Inventures and principal for Total Anesthesia Solutions, a company dedicated to finding strategic solutions for issues relating to anesthesia care, lists the pros and cons of allowing anesthesiologists to invest in a surgery center.
Pros
1. More dedication to the job. Anesthesiologists are going to work harder and be more flexible if they have skin in the game. "There is no question invested anesthesiologists will involve themselves in running the ASC," Dr. Wherry says.
2. More thoughtful use of resources. Physician-owners are going to be more careful about ordering expensive disposable supplies and equipment such as an ultrasound for peripheral nerve blocks.
3. More participation. Anesthesiologists who are owners are more likely to be active participants in the affairs of the ASCs. They also tend to be more agreeable when it comes to covering underutilized rooms.
Cons
1. Hard to change anesthesiologists. If the relationship between surgeons and anesthesiologists goes sour, it will be more difficult to cut ties with anesthesiologists who still hold shares in the center.
2. Fewer shares for surgeons. The anesthesiologist who owns part of the center potentially uses up a share that could have been sold to a surgeon who can bring in more cases.
Dr. Wherry says there are other ways to tie an anesthesiologist to the center besides outright ownership. For example, make the anesthesiologist a medical director. The pay is minimal and the anesthesiologist plays an integral role in decision-making. To encourage anesthesiologists to work harder, pay bonuses for higher productivity. For this to work, benchmarks have to be meaningful and bonuses have to be big enough to be worth the anesthesiologist's while.
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