Read the 2024 Edition of Vital Times!
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 […]
Revenue Cycle Management Basics for Anesthesiologists
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 […]
Time to reset the bar: new principles for acute perioperative pain management endorsed by 14 medical societies
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 […]
Remarks by Assemblymember Akilah Weber, MD: Inspire CSA Members and Residents at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2021
By Antonio Hernandez Conte, MD, MBA, FASA, Chair, CSA Legislative and Practice Affairs Division, Chair, GASPAC Board and Felipe Perez, MD, FASA, Chair, CSA Legislative Affairs Committee The California Society of Anesthesiologists hosted its first ever All Member Reception during the recently concluded ANESTHESIOLOGY 2021 – the American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting held October 9-13 in San […]
ASA Annual Meeting 2021 Review: Most Notable Lectures
By Drs. Henry Gonzalez, Rita Agarwal, Ronald George, Mark Singleton, and Jane Moon By Henry Gonzalez, MD The weather was almost perfect; there were over 7,000 people at the ASA annual meeting held in San Diego in October and it felt great. Virtual meetings have their place; they have utility, they are efficient and cost-effective, […]
Report from ASA Annual Meeting: Strategies on Reimbursement, Medical Credentialing Advance, & CSA Leadership Recognized
By Paul Yost, MD, FASA , ASA Director for CA and Johnathan Pregler, MD, FASA, ASA Alternate Director for CA The American Society of Anesthesiologists held its first safe successful annual meeting since the outbreak of COVID-19 in San Diego October 9-13! Using many COVID safety precautions including a CLEAR App that tracked vaccination status, testing status, and daily symptom […]
