GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A group of anesthesiologists in Michigan is launching a new campaign it says is aimed at informing patients about who is providing their care.
The Michigan Society of Anesthesiologists claims Corwell Health West hospitals are removing anesthesiologists from surgeries and replacing them with emergency medicine or intensive care doctors.
“I don’t know if they’re the only hospital doing it. It’s certainly the one that we’ve become most recently aware of it through the outreach of our members,” MSA President-elect Dr. Matt Dellaquila said.
Lack of anesthesiologists leads to delayed surgeries in West Michigan
MSA has launched a media campaign, including a billboard on US-131 in Kent County, urging patients to ask questions about the medical professionals administering their anesthesia.
“You as a patient or you as an advocate for a patient or family member need to advocate for making sure you know who is delivering your care. Is your care being delivered by a board-certified anesthesiologist operating in a care model with a (certified registered nurse anesthetist), or is it someone without those credentials? And patients need to be asking those questions,” Dellaquila said. “It’s about transparency and truth for patients.”
News 8 asked Corewell Health if it is using ER doctors to administer anesthesia. It did not answer the question, but said in a statement that “patient safety is (its) top priority.”
“All health care providers at Corewell Health providing sedation or anesthesia services are held to the same high-quality privileging and safety standards. We continuously monitor safety and quality and the data shows our teams continue to deliver safe, high-quality care,” the health care system said.
This comes after Corewell Health did not extend its contract with West Michigan Anesthesiologists. The contract ran out Sept. 2.
“I think from a hospital’s perspective, the only the only short-term benefit would appear to be filling a staffing gap more quickly, but the reality is that patients are billed the same whether or not a physician anesthesiologist is involved,” clinical anesthesiologist Dr. David Salama said.
WMA says contract discussions have stopped for now, but that it is open to further negotiations.
“There has been no reach out from Corewell Health to further talk and how to work together and take care of the community. We are open to serve the community but as of now, there is no contract,” WMA President Dr. Kathryn Wladischkin said.
Corewell Health also did not provide an answer when asked if a new anesthesia team has been hired.
