The regulations of the No Surprises Act have yet to financially affect anesthesia groups, according to a June blog post from Tony Mira, Anesthesia Business Consultants' president and CEO.
When the act was first implemented, many anesthesia providers were concerned about the impact it would have on practice revenue. But the legislation does not affect hospital-based anesthesia practices that participate with most insurance plans, according to Mr. Mira. General revenue troubles have more to do with the aging American population, he said.
According to Mr. Mira's analysis, the categories of claims that fall under the No Surprises Act do not affect the average anesthesia practice. The act focuses on patients with no insurance and those who are covered by out-of-network insurance plans.Those patients make up, on average, 5 percent of total practice revenue, he said.
However, there have not been any reviews of independent dispute resolutions for anesthesia claims, Mr. Mira said, which could become an issue for claims involving chronic pain.