**A recording of the press conference is available**
MSA urges truth, transparency around anesthesia delivery
Grand Rapids, Mich. – Anesthesiologists who practice at Corewell Health West and the Michigan Society of Anesthesiologists (MSA) sounded the alarm today about a growing trend in healthcare and at Corewell Health West: removing board-certified anesthesiologists from surgeries and procedures and replacing them with doctors whose primary training is in other specialties or other providers.
“I have seen Corewell West replace anesthesiologists with emergency medicine and intensive care unit doctors, particularly for endoscopy procedures like colonoscopies, and they are not always informing patients,” said Dr. Kathryn Wladischkin, an anesthesiologist and the present of West Michigan Anesthesia (WMA). “While my physician colleagues are highly trained doctors, they lack the expertise that uniquely qualifies anesthesiologists to manage challenges to a patient’s airway and other complications that could occur during or after anesthesia.”
MSA is warning patients about the dangers that come with this change and encouraging them to ask questions about the medical professionals administering their anesthesia during surgery and procedures.
“Anesthesiologists are the physicians in charge of keeping patients safe when they are under anesthesia, and if a patient flatlines, has a seizure, heart attack or stroke during surgery, it’s the anesthesiologist who leads the team to save the patient’s life,” said Dr. Matt Dellaquila, president-elect for MSA. “Every patient should ask clearly: ‘Will a board-certified anesthesiologist be part of my care team?’ That question can protect lives.”
To amplify this message, MSA has launched a billboard and digital campaign in West Michigan reminding patients of their right to transparency.
“Corewell West has been sidelining anesthesiologists and replacing them with emergency medicine doctors to sedate patients for endoscopies,” said Dr. Ashley Agerson, an anesthesiologist with WMA. “No one can replace an anesthesiologist in the moments that matter most. Leaving patients unaware that an anesthesiologist is not on their team undermines both trust and safety.”
Without an anesthesiologist leading the care team, the unique capability to make split-second decisions and manage challenges and complications is missing, often without the patient’s knowledge. Non-anesthesiology medical programs cannot prepare their graduates to provide the level of expertise of a board-certified physician anesthesiologist. Patients must be told when that level of protection is missing.
“Any attempt by hospitals and healthcare providers to remove anesthesiologists from overseeing the delivery of anesthesia puts a patient’s life at additional, unnecessary risk,” said Dr. David Salama, secretary and treasurer at MSA. “Patients have a right to expect the very best healthcare provider to oversee their care while under anesthesia, and they have the right to know exactly who is providing their care and what qualifications their providers have. Transparency is essential to trust, and trust is essential to safety.”
Anesthesiologists complete more than a decade of post-secondary education and training to prepare for the responsibility of guiding patients safely through anesthesia. They are uniquely trained to anticipate complications, lead crisis responses, and safeguard patients through both routine and complex procedures. Even in standard procedures requiring anesthesia, such as a colonoscopy, a patient care team should include an anesthesiologist, according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
MSA also warns against the misconception that removing anesthesiologists reduces costs. In most cases, patients are billed the same rate for anesthesia services regardless of who leads the team. Patients deserve transparency on both qualifications and costs.
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