Ellen Boney
MedStream Anesthesia, PLLC, USA
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Surgery Curr Res
Management of anesthesia practices is vital in todayâ??s healthcare environment. Practice management can range from large Fortune 500 companies to small individually-owned physician practices. For companies or practices to be successful, they must have knowledgeable physician leadership. Practice management must be patient centered. Patients are the reason that physicians practice medicine, and regardless of the practice size, patient care must remain the central focus. Practices need to know their customers. For practice management companies, the customers include the hospital leadership team, the local medical director and all the practitioners. For the local medical director, customers include the hospital administration, the OR director and the surgical leaders. For the individual physician, the customers include the OR staff, the surgeons, the anesthesia staff, and, of course, the patient. Everything comes back to the patient as the ultimate customer. Providing quality care has long been an integral part of anesthesia practices. Now, one must know the reporting requirements and financial implications as well as the necessity for delivering quality care. Currently, in the United States, one must be familiar with the intricacies of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). Practice managers should be knowledgeable about different practice models currently in use. Options include physician only practices, practices with a care team using medical direction, models with medical supervision, nurse anesthetist only models and mixed model. Practice management must include leadership education for everyone in key roles. Training is important for the CEO, the local medical director, and those in between. It is also important to begin preparing future leaders in anesthesia. To succeed in practice management, one must know the customers, understand government regulations and requirements, demonstrate value, and support the local anesthesia providers. The practice management team must remain focused on the patient and on improving patient care.
