
Beaumont Health in Southfield, the state’s largest health care system, is adopting a new anesthesia model to better serve patients, enhance the most current industry best practices, and more efficiently align anesthesia providers with hospital personnel.
The health system has been working toward a more efficient and effective anesthesia model for the past two years. Even with those efforts, Beaumont officials say optimal improvements have not been fully achieved under its current model.
As a result, and due to current financial pressures on the health care industry because of COVID-19, Beaumont officials say they are making the change now to improve quality and costs.
The current model for anesthesia at Beaumont — Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are employed by Beaumont and anesthesiologists are from outside the health system — does not reflect industry standards or best practice, hospital officials state.
Across the nation, CRNAs and anesthesiologists typically work for the same organization, either a hospital/health system or an independent anesthesia provider. Beaumont is moving to a model where CRNAs and anesthesiologists both will work for an independent anesthesia provider with extensive expertise and experience in managing and providing this entire area of clinical service.
After conducting a national search, Beaumont signed an agreement with NorthStar Anesthesia to provide anesthesia services at the health system’s Dearborn, Taylor, Trenton, and Wayne campuses beginning on August 20, 2020.
“We listened to the feedback of our physicians, team members and references to select NorthStar Anesthesia. We know how important it is to our physicians and patients for Beaumont to work with anesthesia groups that deliver high-quality, safe and efficient care and also maintain in-network relationships with insurance companies. This is one of the ways we help protect patients from higher costs and out-of-network surprise bills,” says Carolyn Wilson, COO of Beaumont Health. “Throughout the selection process, the professionalism and commitment to high quality care by NorthStar was clearly evident.”
NorthStar Anesthesia was founded in 2004 by an anesthesiologist and a CRNA and operates in more than 20 states across 150 facilities. It employs more than 2,000 clinicians. NorthStar has extensive experience recruiting and retaining CRNAs and integrating them into a cohesive care team model with anesthesiologists.
“NorthStar has a proven track record of providing high-quality patient care. We have a strong history of recruiting and retaining board certified, highly skilled physicians and CRNAs in Michigan and have established in-network relationships with major insurance companies. These relationships will help protect patients from higher costs, while maintaining safe, quality and compassionate care,” says Adam Spiegel, CEO of NorthStar.
Over the next few months, Beaumont will announce its plans for the Royal Oak, Troy, Grosse Pointe, and Farmington Hills campuses. CRNAs who currently are employed by Beaumont at those campuses also will have the opportunity to transition to the new providers as part of this change.
Beaumont Health, a not-for-profit organization, had total net revenue of $4.7 billion in 2019. It consists of eight hospitals with 3,429 beds, 145 outpatient sites, nearly 5,000 physicians, 38,000 employees, and 3,500 volunteers.