CSA is a long-time member of Californians Allied for Patient Protection (CAPP), the statewide coalition to protect access to health care through the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA). MICRA ensures that injured patients receive compensation while preserving access to health care by keeping providers in practice and hospitals and clinics open. Without MICRA’s protections, […]

Through the years, as physicians who practice peri-operative medicine, Board Certified Anesthesiologists encounter numerous advances in technology which impact their practice. These technological advances come in many forms and come at us from different vectors. The application of force on a rock and thus the movement of some electrons is but one example of a […]

On January 10, 2022, the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB), America’s Blood Centers (ABC), and American Red Cross (ARC) released a joint statement describing a dangerously low level of the nation’s blood supply which is the most severe shortage experienced in over a decade. The nation’s blood supply exists in a […]

Many of our members have asked how to get more involved in the ASA structure and leadership….we are here to tell you how!!! Being part of our professional societies is critical to the future of our profession and we want to help you get involved where you have interests. ASA has always been a bottom-up […]

For the last several years, internal CSA surveys have indicated that members want our state society to proactively promote our specialty to the public, policy makers and key decisionmakers.  To respond to this input and recent concerns expressed by both residents and attending physicians about medical title misappropriation, the CSA Board of Directors authorized a […]

Business Models, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Legal Issues Although much has been made about the difference between non-profit and for-profit healthcare systems, there is really little difference when it comes to the RCM process. Both will work to optimize the process, streamline coding, and attempt to minimize the time between the patient care and the […]

The Evolution of Billing into Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) During the 1970s, insurance plans (payers) started shifting from indemnity plans (where the patient pays the bill, and the insurance reimburses the patient) to direct payment plans (where the insurance company pays the provider directly).  As this occurred, we also saw a continued transition to for-profit […]

Introduction Revenue cycle management (RCM), including coding and claims submission, is a significant function within any healthcare organization or practice, and has given birth to an entire industry. A brief review of the history of billing and insurance over the past 50 years, along with the development of various methods to control costs, is useful […]

Despite previously published guidelines and practice recommendations, there remains unwarranted variation in the quality of pain management provided to patients having surgery. Unwarranted variations in healthcare are inconsistencies in clinical practice that have no basis in science or patient preference. In 2019, the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task […]