How to Choose the Right Anesthesia Provider for Your Practice?

It’s a busy morning at your practice. Your schedule is packed with procedures, your team is coordinated, and everything seems set for a smooth day. Then your anesthesia provider calls in short-staffed, equipment issues arise, or pre-op assessments are delayed. These scenarios, familiar to many healthcare providers, highlight a crucial truth: your anesthesia service can make or break your practice’s efficiency and patient care quality. 

Whether you’re expanding your services, starting a new practice, or reassessing your current anesthesia partnership, choosing the right provider involves more than just checking credentials or testimonials. Let’s explore six key factors that differentiate a basic anesthesia provider from a true partner who can help your practice thrive.

6 Factors to Consider When Selecting an Anesthesia Group for Your Practice

Their Focus on Safety

Whatever procedure is performed in your practice, you know that safety comes first. This is, therefore, the first factor to consider when choosing an anesthesia group to work with you. Safety in anesthesia requires a comprehensive, systematic approach that encompasses every aspect of patient care. 

How could you evaluate an anesthesia provider’s focus on safety? 

Look for a quality anesthesia provider who demonstrates the following:

• Robust safety protocols, including thorough pre-operative assessments, continuous monitoring during procedures, and detailed post-operative care plans tailored to your practice and patient profile.
• Emergency preparedness plans.
• Adherence to stringent regulatory guidelines.
• Clear documentation of their safety records and transparency about their quality assurance measures.
• A strong commitment to staying current with the latest safety guidelines and best practices in anesthesia care. 

Their Experience and Expertise

Experience and expertise should be another key consideration when selecting an anesthesia provider for your practice. A proven track record in these areas demonstrates the provider’s clinical proficiency and ability to manage procedures in your specialty area while effectively minimizing potential risks.

How could you evaluate an anesthesia provider’s experience and expertise? 

Look for a quality anesthesia provider who demonstrates the following:

• A proven specialty focus, particularly in managing complex cases or surgical procedures relevant to your practice.
• A track record of quality care, with transparent reporting of patient outcomes and quality metrics that demonstrate adherence to best practices.
• Advanced training and certifications.
• Appropriate licenses and certifications.

Their Compatibility with Your Team

Bringing in “outsiders” to your practice can sometimes do more harm than good, as third-party providers may have differing priorities and motivations that could disrupt your workflow. To avoid this, it’s crucial to select an anesthesia group that feels like a seamless extension of your team rather than a temporary service provider that simply “drops in” and leaves. An effective anesthesia provider should integrate into your practice as a dedicated team member, fully aligned with your goals and operations.

How could you evaluate an anesthesia provider’s compatibility with your team? 

Look for a quality anesthesia provider who demonstrates the following:

• Ability to collaborate effectively with the entire practice’s staff.
• A track record of building strong working relationships with surgical teams and patients.
• Capacity to adapt to your practice’s specific workflows and culture.
• Dedication to your practice and its success, for instance, through managing the clinical and bureaucratic sides of anesthesia management, compliance with regulations, staff education, etc.

Their Scope of Support

The best anesthesia providers offer comprehensive support beyond sedation administration. Why? Because it grants complete peace of mind to the practice’s staff, from the doctors and surgeons to the office managers alike. This all-encompassing approach alleviates the administrative burden on your practice, allowing you to focus on exceptional patient care. Additionally, the ability to streamline operations by handling all aspects of anesthesia management eliminates the need to coordinate with multiple vendors, resulting in a more efficient practice operation.

How could you evaluate an anesthesia provider’s scope of support? 

Look for a quality anesthesia provider who takes ownership of the following:

• All aspects of anesthesia management
• Anesthesia safety evaluation
• On-demand anesthesia staffing
• Inventory management for anesthesia-related supplies
• Regulatory compliance
• Consultation services
• Sedation permitting for your practice

Their Flexibility

Flexibility in anesthesia services is more critical today than ever before. With the growing demand for anesthesia across a wide range of medical procedures, practices may need to expand their procedural offerings and anesthesia management capabilities to handle increased case volumes and diverse procedural requirements, all without compromising the quality of care. A truly flexible anesthesia group ensures they can scale with you and facilitate your practice or ambulatory surgical center (ASC) growth ambitions.

How could you evaluate an anesthesia provider’s flexibility? 

Look for a quality anesthesia provider who demonstrates the following:

• A robust pool of qualified CRNAs.
• Team members skilled in multiple anesthetic approaches and techniques.
• A broad scope of services that can be scaled or expanded as your practice’s needs evolve.

Their Approach

Anyone in the medical field acknowledges that patients are the purpose of healthcare. Your selected anesthesia group should remember it too, recognizing that successful anesthesia care extends beyond technical competence to include the whole patient experience. A patient-centered anesthesia provider ensures each patient feels heard, informed, and cared for, tailoring their approach to meet individual needs and concerns. This holistic focus not only enhances patient satisfaction but also contributes to better overall outcomes.

How could you evaluate an anesthesia provider’s approach? 

Look for a quality anesthesia provider who demonstrates the following:

• Clear communication with patients, explaining procedures and addressing concerns with empathy and professionalism.
• Thorough preoperative assessments to create customized anesthesia plans tailored to each patient’s medical history and individual needs.
• Dedicated postoperative care, ensuring attentive monitoring until patients have fully recovered.
• A strong ability to build trust with patients while maintaining efficient operations that support your practice’s goals.

An Anesthesia Provider vs. Anesthesia Partner — Which is a Better Choice for Your Practice?

When selecting an anesthesia group for your practice, it’s essential to ask yourself one fundamental question: Am I looking for an anesthesia provider or an anesthesia partner? While these terms are often used interchangeably, the distinction between them is profound. A provider typically offers transactional services, whereas a partner integrates seamlessly with your practice, contributing to its growth through comprehensive anesthesia management and a genuine passion for patient care. In today’s healthcare environment, where anesthesia is a crucial factor in patient satisfaction, having a partner like this can make all the difference.

If you’re looking for a true anesthesia partner, NovaSed is here to support you. With extensive industry expertise and a commitment to enhancing the quality of anesthesia care, we’ve developed a unique model of comprehensive anesthesia management designed to support your practice in the long term. Learn more about our approach, explore our wide range of anesthesia services, and contact us for more details. We look forward to helping your practice thrive.