Anesthesia Compensation Methodology
As a hospital executive, anesthesia compensation methodology might be something that has rarely concerned you if your anesthesia services have been outsourced. However, with rising anesthesia staffing costs plaguing the nation and increasingly difficult reimbursement hurdles to jump, it is understandable why your interest in anesthesia compensation methodology may be piqued. Learning more about anesthesia compensation methodology is an important part of understanding the business of anesthesia.
Anatomy of an Anesthesia Compensation Model
An anesthesia compensation model should be consistent, compliant and competitive to attract anesthesiologists and CRNAs. The provider compensation plan aims to encourage and support a transformation of the care model that leads to improved patient population health and outstanding organizational performance in a value-based environment. Historically, the key to creating a logical anesthesia compensation model has been to develop it based on the ASA base, time and clinical circumstance. This approach considers the notion of case complexity, allowing higher compensation for procedures with higher morbidity and mortality rates for patients. However, the current nationwide anesthesia provider shortage trumps this methodology, requiring compensation to be more competitive in relation to geographic location.
Separate Compensation from Billing
Separating anesthesia provider compensation from billing mitigates the risk of compliance issues. Without separating the anesthesia provider compensation system from the billing system, it is possible to inadvertently commit an anesthesia billing compliance violation by charging government payers and receiving payment for things you shouldn’t. There is no reason to tie billing systems and compensation in today’s anesthesia provider shortage. Keep in mind that CMS is authorized to suspend payments during investigations of “credible allegations of fraud,” which could bankrupt some practices depending on their payor mix.
Offering Incentives that Support Your Bottom Line
Anesthesia providers are highly motivated by incentive-based pay. To motivate anesthesia providers to work on-call and weekend shifts, which are typically less popular due to the absence of scheduled cases and the intrusion on a provider’s personal life, offer incentives or a clear on-call schedule as part of the hiring process. In most scenarios, offering incentive-based pay to your existing team of providers to cover call, holidays and weekends is better for your bottom line than hiring another provider (or more) to cover these shifts. It also makes recruiting easier when providers know there will be opportunities to earn extra money should they so desire.
CCI Anesthesia’s Compensation Methodology
At CCI Anesthesia, we are committed to transparency and maintaining an open-book policy with our clients. We have nothing to hide when it comes to our anesthesia provider compensation methodology and always ensure our clients understand our strategies. After establishing a foundation of trust and accountability, we want our clients to rest easy knowing that their anesthesia department is in competent, capable hands. As your strategic partner, your bottom line is our priority. Our compensation model will allow us to recruit the most experienced and qualified providers to your facility while supporting your financial prosperity.
Transitioning to CCI Anesthesia
Helping streamline OR operations, build surgical volume and keep surgeons staffed are among the many ways we serve our clients and provide anesthesia services. In a matter of weeks, we can bring a full suite of resources to co-manage your perioperative services. Our systematic, yet customizable transition process, has proven itself time and time again to keep surgeons happy and productive while maintaining steady revenue streams. If you are ready for an anesthesia partner who can help create a high-performing perioperative service, contact us today at 800-494-3948.