Every year brings several changes in the healthcare industry, and 2024 is shaping up to be no exception. Heading into the new year, anesthesiologists plan to grow their skill sets, expand ASC partnerships and improve payer relations.
Six anesthesiologists spoke with Becker's about what they are prioritizing for the upcoming year.
Question: What is your top priority for 2024?
Eric Mehlberg, MD. Anesthesiologist: My priority for 2024 is to continue diversifying my skill set. This serves a couple aims. One, it prevents one's practice from getting stale. Two, it makes you attractive to referrers and employers, and three, it serves our patients better.
Jami Osterlund, MSN. Perianesthesia Manager at Houston Physicians' Hospital: We are currently in a strategic growth plan for the ASC that includes adding another operating room and expanding our service lines to better support our patients and community. My top priorities for 2024 include effective physician on-boarding, staff recruitment and retention, and managing efficiency in patient flow despite construction and unforeseen roadblocks.
Jayesh Dayal, MD. Anesthesiologist at White Flint Surgery (Rockville, Md.): As an independent ASC, as we transition to the higher acuity ortho and spine cases, it is becoming very apparent that remaining independent is becoming impossible, as we have absolutely dismal rates, no scope of negotiating anything at our scale — with the insurers or the vendors — and the personnel costs are out of control. For 2024, we have started talking to national chains, private equity firms and hospital systems to partner with so that the rates get better, the cost of disposables and implants get better, and the day to day operations and RCM are optimized. The days of in-house billing, long-term relationships with one's team, the independence to run your own outfit, are sadly gone. It was fun while it lasted, but it's time to bring in the suits — like the hospital days of yore.
Marco Araujo, MD. Anesthesiologist at Advanced Pain Management (Green Bay, Wis): Starting a new pain practice and a new ASC in Stevens Point, Wis.
Sheel Patel, MD. Anesthesiologist and Interventional Pain Specialist at APAC Centers for Pain Management (Chicago): Top priority for 2024 is to have our two ASCs at 75% capacity in terms of the number of days we have surgeons performing cases. We are currently only providing interventional pain services; however, the idea is to expand into podiatry and possibly ortho cases as well. Additionally, we hope to start offering ketamine infusion services in the ASC on days where we do not have any surgeons performing cases.
Timothy Lubenow, MD. Professor of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine at Rush University Medical Center (Chicago): I'm planning to improve my payer mix by networking with workers' compensation nursing organizations. I also am limiting the number of Medicare patients seen on a daily basis.