Scaling up quality in an anesthesia practice

Abstract

Background The resources necessary to improve anesthesia quality and meet reimbursement and regulatory thresholds are scarce, particularly for smaller practices. We examined how small practice integration into a firm with greater resources can facilitate improvements. Methods A mixed-methods analysis was conducted using data from the US Anesthesia Partners data warehouse, Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), commercial insurers’ surgery length of stay databases, anesthesia-specific patient satisfaction surveys, and interviews with practice leadership before and after integration. Results All integrated practices improved their QI infrastructure and achieved higher MIPS scores, with increased clinician and leadership satisfaction. Patient satisfaction exceeded national benchmarks in all groups, based on 398,392 returned surveys in 2021. Hospital length of stay for common operations was shorter, based on a statewide database. Conclusion This case study demonstrates that partnership with an organization with greater resources can advance anesthesia quality.