Ep 156: How the Economics of Healthcare Could Change Anesthesia

Money drives many of the decisions industries have to make and healthcare is no exception. As things become more expensive and less efficient, people are looking for ways to improve the quality and cost of care. Ian Hewer, PhD, CRNA, is an assistant professor at Western Carolina University and has turned much of his focus to healthcare economics and QZ team billing. Today he’ll tell us more about this team approach, how it’s impacting cost, and why it’s a good thing for CRNAs.       Read more: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/ep-155-how-the-economics-of-healthcare-could-change-anesthesia/3076/    Get the CE certificate here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Beyond-the-Mask-CE-Cert-FILLABLE.pdf   Make a Memorial or Tribute Gift to the AANA: https://www.aana.com/docs/default-source/foundation-aana-com-web-documents-(all)/memorial-and-tribute-gift-summary.pdf?sfvrsn=de8545b1_0    What we discuss in this episode:  4:34 – Introducing today’s guest and topic 6:53 – The anesthesia care team model 11:24 – Background on QZ billing 14:15 – Supervision 16:45 – How will affect the future of anesthesia? 22:48 – What does the average anesthetist make? 26:03 – Outcomes vs amount spent 30:57 – Solutions for the future 35:49 – What patients think of their care 37:02 – Problems with employer-based insurance system 38:34 – Two options we face 42:46 – CRNAs in good position 44:10 – Lightning Round