North American Partners in Anesthesia continues to deliver high-quality anesthesia care nationwide while the US faces a shortage of anesthesia clinicians
North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA) has partnered with NYU Langone to provide anesthesia services at NYU Langone Ambulatory Surgery Center in Garden City, NY. The facility has six operating rooms and specializes in surgeries that do not require a hospital stay. Surgeries at the facility include orthopedics, breast, ENT, gynecologic, plastic, urologic, and general surgery.
NYU Langone Ambulatory Surgery Center joins a growing list of 500 prestigious hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and office-based surgery sites located in 21 states—approximately 100 of which are in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut—who are partnering with NAPA. As the US faces a shortage of anesthesia clinicians, these medical facilities rely on NAPA to provide comprehensive, patient-centered anesthesia and pain management services. The organization serves 3 million patients annually.
According to data recently published by the Association of American Medical Colleges, the United States could see an estimated shortage of 10,300 to 35,600 anesthesiologists by 2034. Additionally, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates a significant hiring need for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) as the percentage of available positions is expected to increasingly grow through the year 2030 because of a general need to replace these skilled professionals who retire or transfer to other occupations.
Other contributing factors to the nationwide shortage of anesthesia clinicians include:
- An increase in retirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Medical innovations for sicker patients have accelerated the need for anesthesia professionals, but supply is surpassing demand
- Case migration to outpatient settings, which requires anesthesia professionals who can medically manage complex cases
- It takes years to educate and prepare anesthesiologists and CRNAs
Addressing the Nationwide Shortage of Anesthesia Clinicians
Despite the nationwide shortage of anesthesia clinicians, NAPA has more than 6,000 clinicians and a track record of successfully recruiting, hiring, and retaining the highest caliber of clinical experts. In fact, the majority of NAPA’s clinical hires are the direct result of employee referrals.
In a time where all clinicians—especially those in anesthesia—face high rates of work stress with growing patient loads, NAPA is taking a multifaceted approach to support the well-being and safety of its workforce. In fact, NAPA attributes this compassionate and just culture to facilitating more than 1,000 clinical hires in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Benefits of leading with culture include greater patient satisfaction without compromising on quality.
Additionally, NAPA is forward-thinking when it comes to creating a pipeline of its future clinicians. Leadership development is a core part of NAPA, with several programs in place to nurture new and budding leaders. The goal is to build strong localized anesthesia teams that are driven by competent and collaborative anesthesia leaders. Clinician leadership extends to all levels at NAPA—including executive, regional operations, and functional roles. From NAPA’s perspective, there is tremendous value in leaders who intimately understand the day-to-day demands of being a front-line clinician.
NAPA also recognizes the critical importance of addressing health inequities and growing a more diverse community of providers. The organization contributes to CRNA mentoring and academic programs to ensure the future population of trained anesthesia professionals enters the workforce broadly representing our society.
“We build trust with our patients when they see a part of themselves in us,” said John. F. Di Capua, MD, NAPA’s chief executive officer. “At NAPA, we know that making sure each person is seen, heard, and welcomed creates a stronger future for our profession.”
Ensuring Patient and Partner Satisfaction is Important in Anesthesia
During its 34-year history, NAPA realized that the key to success is ensuring excellent patient and partner satisfaction. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, patients with better care experiences often have better health outcomes. The agency notes that studies of patients hospitalized for heart attacks showed that patients with more positive reports about their experiences with care had better health outcomes a year after discharge.
According to Dr. Di Capua, doing right by the patient is always top of mind in everything NAPA clinicians do. Dr. Di Capua and NAPA’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Medical Officer are clinicians who have taken the medical oath’s central point of “doing no harm” to the business operations of the organization.
NAPA has an overall patient satisfaction score of 4.83 out of 5. And, surgeons who work with NAPA anesthesia clinicians gave NAPA a 97% satisfaction score.
The organization recognizes that providing high-quality care leads to better patient and partner satisfaction. By implementing evidence-based clinical protocols, NAPA partners have experienced an approximate 42% decrease in the rate of critical incidences for patients who are considered high-risk recipients of anesthesia. A critical incident is defined as any serious or traumatic event that causes, or can cause, physical or mental harm or harm to the well-being of a person.
“For more than 35 years we have been devoted to delivering safe, high-quality anesthesia care to patients while partnering with hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and office-based practices,” Dr. Di Capua said. “It is our intent to continue to drive excellent clinical outcomes for our partners and their patients, and we will bring this same approach to the NYU Langone Ambulatory Care Center in Garden City.”
