Over the time that I thought about the subject of this article, very serious challenges for all physician anesthesiologists kept popping up from multiple directions. Very disconcerting viewpoints have been heard on several ASA conference calls. Within my practice group, we are challenged to create consensus for supporting ever-increasing volumes of nonclinical work essential to our future. Within the Alabama State Society of Anesthesiologists (ASSA) we are working aggressively to address recent announcements of major changes in payment by both Medicaid and our largest private payer. A few ASSA members have called expressing protests related to health care reform and ASSA/ASA responses. One caller predicted it would all be over for us in 10-15 years and said he is quitting. Another conveyed that “rank-and-file members don’t think the leaders in our specialty are doing enough to protect the specialty.”
With issues presenting with escalating frequency and exponentially greater complexity, the...
