Read the 2024 Edition of Vital Times!
CSA Leadership Development: Anesthesiologists as part of the Solution
Anesthesiologists are uniquely positioned to lead changes in healthcare. To better position physician anesthesiologists as part of the solution to the challenges facing our healthcare system, in 2021, the California Society of Anesthesiologists partnered with University of California, Irvine to present a Certificate in Leadership for Healthcare Management. Through this program we have learned that […]
Resident Perspective: ASA Advance 2022
The last weekend of January I attended the ASA ADVANCE conference in Dallas, TX. I had been interested in attending this particular event since I heard about it as a medical student, back when it was still called ASA Practice Management. At the time, I did not yet have the experience within anesthesia to contextualize […]
An Update on the Campaign to Save MICRA in California
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, […]
Blockchain, Bitcoin, and Anesthesia
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 […]
Critical Blood Shortages: A Call for Patient Blood Management
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 […]
How can I get more involved in ASA Committees?
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 […]
CSA Digital Ad Campaign Update
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 […]
Revenue Cycle Management Basics for Anesthesiologists: Part 3
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 […]
Revenue Cycle Management Basics for Anesthesiologists: Part 2
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 […]
