Why Outsourcing Anesthesia Care Makes a Difference for Community Hospitals
May 19, 2022
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, it is predicted that there will be a shortage of anywhere between 38,000 to 124,000 physicians by 2034, with rural areas the most impacted. Rural and community hospitals have long struggled with being able to deliver quality care as they grapple with staffing shortages and closures – both hastened by the pandemic.
CRNAs and anesthesiologists are vital to a population in need of surgical care in these areas. Lack of staff can lead to canceled surgeries or sending patients to other facilities, sometimes hours away. However, recruiting and retaining top talent is an ongoing challenge in a competitive job market. It leaves community hospitals and the patients they care for in an endless cycle of jeopardy.
That is precisely why outsourcing to an anesthesia service can help. Even with a modest budget, an anesthesia program can help with recruitment and retention, anesthesia leadership, and assisting with technology adoption.
Recruiting Top Providers
Recruiting anesthesiologists and CRNAs takes time and patience. Delays can cost money, missed opportunities, and insufficient care. Most hospitals, especially those struggling in rural areas, don’t have the resources to effectively locate, hire, and train specialized staff.
Not all providers will thrive in a rural setting, and that’s ok. The goal is to find the right fit. With a database of CRNAs and anesthesiologists, nationwide networking, and state-of-the-art recruitment tools, the right anesthesiology partner can quickly utilize their resources to bring the best candidates to the table.
Anesthesia Leadership
Your Anesthesia Medical Director will be equipped to take an active role in managing OR efficiency, discovering avenues for improvement, and will serve as a collaborative partner to hospital administration.
Help with Technology
The tools needed to measure quality of care can be expensive and implementing a system may not be an option for rural and community hospitals with limited budgets. But how can a hospital improve care if it doesn’t have a clear picture of where it stands?
The answer is, it can’t. Premier Anesthesia provides access to technology through our anesthesia software platform. Real-time data is calculated, scrutinized, and utilized for growth. This enables hospital leadership to make the soundest decisions for the hospital and its patients.
Managing Regulatory Changes
Like recruitment, keeping up with regulatory changes and contract negotiations takes time and resources – something many rural hospitals don’t have. Outsourcing these responsibilities to an anesthesia partner will give your hospital peace of mind that regulatory changes and contract negotiations are being taken care of correctly and in a timely manner.
Every Hospital is Unique
There is no one solution that will work for every facility, so when choosing an anesthesia partner, flexibility and expertise are essential. Premier Anesthesia is well-equipped to streamline recruitment, implement data-driven technology, and manage regulatory compliance, all within your budget. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help.