Weekly, data-grounded analysis of the anesthesia workforce — compensation and locum rates, care-team model shifts, supply and training pipelines, and what it all means for Anesthesiologists, CRNAs, and Anesthesiologist Assistants.
Anesthesia now relies on locum tenens coverage more heavily than any other physician specialty, and the hourly rates for all three anesthesia roles annualize well above permanent pay benchmarks. A look at current locum rates, where the spend is concentrated, and how hospital and ASC leaders can tell when temporary coverage has become a permanent cost.
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CMS has proposed a CY 2027 anesthesia conversion factor of $20.4165 for qualifying APM participants and $20.2143 for everyone else, extending a decline of 8.3% to 9.2% since 2019 against a cumulative 22.5% increase in the Medicare Economic Index. A breakdown of what the proposed rule does to anesthesiologists, CRNAs, and certified anesthesiologist assistants, and what ASA and AANA asked CMS to change before the final rule lands around November 1.
Anesthesiologist compensation estimates for roughly the same period range from $444,468 to $614,156 depending on who collected the data, and the most-quoted federal CRNA figure understates the job by about $100,000 because it averages three different occupations. A guide to which anesthesia benchmark to use for contract negotiation, fair market value, and recruiting.
Ownership structure is now the single biggest determinant of what an anesthesia job pays and how it is staffed. A look at the consolidation data, the FTC's April 2026 settlement with U.S. Anesthesia Partners, the groups reversing course, and the very different position anesthesiologists, CRNAs, and CAAs occupy in each model.
Demand-side coverage of the anesthesia shortage is well trodden. This is the supply side: how many anesthesiologists, CRNAs, and certified anesthesiologist assistants the training pipeline actually produces each year, how fast each pipeline is growing, and why geography now matters more than volume.
Professional fees no longer pay for anesthesia coverage. Stipends do. We break down the peer-reviewed numbers, the ASC spillover, the 2027 Medicare proposal, and what each part of the anesthesia care team should do about it.
