Though rare, wrong-site nerve blocks are much more common than wrong-site surgery, according to a large incidence study. Two organizations, the Pennsylvania Society of Anesthesiologists and the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, joined forces to develop a consensus-based, peer-driven protocol that incorporates practices with unique relevance fo...

Covered entities, including anesthesia practices, are required under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to execute a contract with business associates to safeguard the privacy and security of protected health information (PHI). As the holder of the PHI, anesthesia groups should make sure they understand and carr...

Agile improvement methods based on an iterative project management approach first used in the software industry can be applied to a variety of problems in healthcare, including those related to anesthesia care. We review key characteristics of the Agile approach and offer examples from the scientific literature.Does the word "agile" mean anything t...

We summarize findings on anesthesiologist compensation from the Medscape Anesthesiologist Compensation Report 2018. The survey reports total annual compensation for anesthesiologists of an average of $386,000, a six percent increase from the 2017 report. A multitude of factors are used to determine compensation, and actual compensation figures amon...

SummaryThe growing use of nerve blocks for acute pain management is helping anesthesiologists improve the quality and safety of patient care. New approaches and techniques are emerging all the time. While this innovation benefits patients, it also creates billing and coding challenges and underscores the importance of having a billing partner that ...