New Year, New Challenges

Happy New Year!

As we bring 2022 to a close, our question is simple: was this the new normal we had been waiting for since the challenges of the Pandemic? In some ways, it was. Most of our clients saw surgical volumes level out at pre-Covid levels. Beyond this basic reality, though, American healthcare continues to provide numerous challenges. Many practices simply went out of business, either through practice mergers or by becoming hospital employees. We did our best to track the issues and guide our clients through the turbulent waters of American healthcare. It is always difficult to know what priorities to focus on. I hope you will find this collection particularly interesting and relevant.

Our Bryan Sullivan leads us off with a very detailed discussion of what we can expect from the 2023 Quality Payment Program. Ever since the pay for performance concept first began to be implemented, there have been numerous questions from our clients about the details of each year’s program and the value of participating. Bryan does a great job of explaining how to be compliant.

Managing group practices effectively has always posed many challenges. We have worked hard to help clients navigate management challenges. Will Latham, a very experienced practice management consultant, shared some very practical suggestions gleaned from his 30 years in the business in his article, Cooperation Without Trust. He has a great way of getting to the heart of the issues with some very useful suggestions.

Our very own VP, Jody Locke, pulls the lens back on the current economic realities of anesthesia practice. Clients used to focus on the need to optimize collections, but Jody’s article reminds us that today’s challenge is about managing the whole budget and, where necessary, figuring out how to enroll the hospital in your practice. It is a very insightful compilation of his years of experience managing anesthesia practices across the country.

In this era of Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok, it is impossible to discuss strategic options without consideration of social media. Kristine Squiers, from our marketing department, dives into this interesting subject by addressing some of the most common questions we get asked. I am sure this will be the beginning of an interesting and ongoing discussion.

Attorney Mark Weiss often contributes to our journal, and his article about a $24.3 million judgment is a fascinating exploration of a topic few of us have seriously considered. The letters RFP are probably three of the scariest to anesthesia practice managers. Mark provides some very relevant suggestions for dealing with overzealous hospital administrators.

We all know there is a serious manpower shortage. There are obviously many implications, including increased subsidies so practices can recruit and retain a sufficient number of providers. Lorraine Morandi, one of Plexus Management Group’s managers, attempts to explore the nature and implications of the current CRNA shortage.

On behalf of our entire team, let me wish you a productive and profitable 2023. As always, we are particularly grateful for your comments and feedback on these pieces. We are especially interested in your suggestions for future topics.

With best wishes,

Tony Mira
Vice Chairman and Founder