From private equity’s growing presence in the specialty to changes in the use of anesthesia, here are three trends shaping the gastroenterology field in 2024.
Changes in anesthesia
Beginning Jan. 1, Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts stopped its coverage of monitored anesthesia for certain gastrointestinal patients undergoing endoscopic, bronchoscopic or interventional pain procedures.
The insurer no longer considers monitored anesthesia “medically necessary” through this new policy except for cases wherein a patient receives documentation that specific risk factors or significant medical conditions are present from the operating physician or anesthesiologist/certified registered nurse anesthetist.
Meanwhile, the shortage of anesthesiologists continues to affect the ASC and GI industries, with the Association of American Medical Colleges predicting a shortage of 12,500 anesthesiologists by 2033.