TopMedTalk

TopMedTalk recorded this piece at the annual meeting of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) in San Diego. With over 64,000 members, including practicing CRNAs and nurse anesthesia residents, the AANA facilitates professional standards, advocacy, and social networking.

This discussion highlights the importance of cultivating strong educational programs and strategic affiliations to ensure high-quality anesthesia care in the U.S.

Presented by Desiree Chappell, TopMedTalk's Co-Editor-in-Chief and Vice President of Clinical Quality at NorthStar Anesthesia, and co-host Randy Moore, DNP, MBA, CRNA, Chief Anesthetist Officer at NorthStar Anesthesia, with their guest Mandy Spitzer, DNP, CRNA, the new Director of Academic Affairs at NorthStar.

TopMedTalk is on location at the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) annual meeting, Anesthesiology 2024.

In this episode, we feature a brief discussion on the conference highlights, trends in anesthesia recruitment, and insights into what it's like to work for NorthStar Anesthesia.

Presented by Desiree Chappell, CRNA, Co-Editor in Chief of TopMedTalk and Vice President of Clinical Quality for NorthStar Anesthesia, with special guests Adam Spiegel, CEO of NorthStar Anesthesia, and Jim Roberts, Chief Medical Officer of NorthStar Anesthesia

This episode captures a blend of practical insights, high-level strategy, and the enduring need for empathy in healthcare leadership.

We explore the importance of preparing patients physically and mentally before surgery. We look at how the challenges of activity-based funding (as practiced in Australia and the UK) require balancing care quality with financial constraints and ask; is it time for bold systemic changes?

We also look at the importance of a collaborative approach to working with politicians and policymakers to ensure better adoption of quality and safety practices in healthcare. And, we look at the role of AI in medicine; its the potential in diagnostics, pathology, and operational efficiencies, alongside ethical questions about how and when to trust AI, especially in clinical decision-making.

Presented by Kate Leslie and Mike Grocott with their guest, Shelley Dolan, Professor and Chief Executive Officer at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Victoria, Australia.

This piece focuses on the Anesthesia Quality Institute (AQI), founded in 2009 by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) to promote patient safety and operational efficiency in the profession. The AQI was created for the specific purpose of building and maintaining a national registry of anesthesia cases and outcomes, to enable the benchmarking of patient care in the perioperative period.

Presented by Desiree Chappell and Monty Mythen with their guests, Randall Clark, Director of The Anesthesia Quality Institute and immediate past President of The American Society of Anesthesiologists, alongside Marc Bernstein, Chief Information Officer and Executive Director and AQI Executive Director, Anesthesia Quality Institute at The American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Further reading:

https://www.asahq.org/aqi

https://www.asahq.org/shop-asa

TopMedTalk was in attendance at the annual meeting of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) in San Diego this year. With over 64,000 members, including practicing CRNAs and nurse anesthesia residents, the AANA facilitates professional standards, advocacy, and social networking.

How does it work? Where are standards being raised? What drives progress in the field of anesthesiology?

Desiree Chappell, TopMedTalk's Co-Editor-in-Chief and Lead Anchor, as well as Vice President of Clinical Quality for NorthStar Anesthesia, speaks with Dru Riddle, PhD, DNAP, CRNA, FAAN, Professor at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, Co-chair of the Cochrane U.S. Network, CRNA at NorthStar Anesthesia, and outgoing president of the AANA.

TopMedTalk was at the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Annual General Meeting, Anesthesiology 2024. We're bringing you a series of podcasts from the conference.

In this episode, we share insights into patient care, emphasizing the importance of empathy, trust, and tailored communication, especially for patients from communities with healthcare inequities. How do we handle different patient responses to monitoring technology? While remote monitoring offers potential benefits—such as allowing patients to recover at home—it raises questions about who will oversee this data and how to ensure it remains safe and effective.

Presented by Desiree Chappell and Mike Grocott with their guest Ashley P. Oliver, MD MA, HS Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia, UCLA Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine.

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We've been releasing more podcasts than usual here recently. Make sure you keep an eye on the TopMedTalk feed as we head towards the holidays.

Like this, want more?

Here's a great piece we did from the same conference:

"Challenging The Big Insurance Companies"

https://topmedtalk.libsyn.com/challenging-the-big-insurance-companies-anes24

TopMedTalk was at The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)'s annual general meeting; Anesthesiology 2024. We're bringing you a series of podcasts from the conference.

Make sure you check our podcast feed and are subscribed to TopMedTalk, as we're currently releasing episodes more than usual to accommodate high demand.

What's the impact of a remote patient monitoring device, or wearable, on a patient and how does this compare with the potential consequences of not having one? This personal story from our guest should force you to consider where patient care is and where it should be.

Presented by Desiree Chappell and Monty Mythen with their guest, LaToya Mason, Anesthesiologist, Director of Obstetric Anesthesia Education at The University of Mississippi Medical Center, Chair of the SOAP Membership Committee, member of the ASA Educational Track Committee for Obstetric Anesthesia, and member of the SOAP Trainee Curriculum Committee.

More from Anesthesia '24:

https://topmedtalk.libsyn.com/top-7-ways-to-drive-success-for-independent-anesthesia-groups-anes24

https://topmedtalk.libsyn.com/the-anesthesia-toolbox-anes24

Swimming with the Sharks Innovation Challenge, hosted by Dr. Barrett Larson and Dr. Sean Runnels, returns to Center Stage this year, providing entrepreneurs and inventors feedback to help move innovative ideas forward.

Three finalists present their pitches live for the opportunity to win a $1,000 cash prize, award recognition, and special spotlight from ASA.

Sean Runnels, Swimming with Sharks Co-Chair, is a past winner who was recognized for his steerable bougie. It's now on the market from Through The Cords LLC, where he is Chief Executive Officer. Barrett Larson, Swimming with Sharks Co-Chair, is an Anesthesiologist at Stanford in California and physcian entepreneur.

The Anesthesia Toolbox supports learners and instructors with deep, peer-reviewed content in a variety of formats. Users can engage with the community to create and develop resources, prepare for staged exams and keep knowledge current with an extensive adaptive learning quizbank, assign and track learner progress through an intuitive dashboard, and leverage resources for medical students doing anesthesia rotations and fellows in anesthesia subspecialties.

We examine these claims in this podcast. If you'd like to explore this topic further please start here: https://www.asahq.org/education-and-career/asa-resident-component/anesthesia-toolbox-sign-up

Presented by Desiree Chappell and Mike Grocott with their guests, Benjamin Houseman, MD, Program Director of the Anesthesiology Residency at Memorial Healthcare System in Hollywood, Florida, Envision Physician Services and Michael P. Hofkamp, MD is an associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Baylor College of Medicine and a staff physician at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Temple. He is the Director of Obstetric Anesthesia at the medical center.

TopMedTalk at Anesthesiology 2024 the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

Here we delve into how anesthesiologists are paid, the impact of government and commercial payers and recent major issues such as cyberattacks on revenue cycle billing companies. We discuss ongoing advocacy efforts and significant regulatory changes affecting your profession, strategies for managing payment models, and the importance of strong negotiation tactics to maintain viable practices.

Presented by Desiree Chappell and Mike Grocott with their guests Lois Connolly, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI and ASA Vice President for Professional Affairs and Jonathan Gal, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, System Medical Director- Facility Revenue Integrity & Optimization; System Medical Director- Offsite ASC Anesthesia; ASA Director from New York for the Board of Directors and Chair of the Committee on Economics.

Learn more about how The ASA helps you: https://www.asahq.org/advocating-for-you/payment-progress