NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — About 80 percent of hospitals outsourced some patient services last year, and anesthesia ranked No. 1 on the list according to a survey by Waller Lansden. An American Hospital Association study discovers one possible reason facilities are paying more attention to their anesthesia services — 47 percent of hospital administrators are reducing or re-directing operating room procedures due to anesthesia staffing issues.
How did so many anesthesia departments become understaffed and underfunded? Somnia founder and CEO, Marc E. Koch, MD, MBA, says it is a case of simple supply and demand. Decentralization of surgery to office-based and ambulatory surgical facilities has created a peak in anesthesiologist and CRNA demand — while, at the same time, the limited supply of anesthesiologists and CRNAs is driving up the cost of coverage. This problem has most anesthesia departments leaning on hospitals for greater subsidies at a time when hospitals can least afford these financial pressures. But the real solutions, according to Koch, are creating cost effective and efficient staffing models, shrewd recruitment and maximizing payer contracting and revenue management.
“We have an incredible opportunity to help facilities improve their bottom line results at this critical time for the economy,” says Koch. “We leverage our clinical and operational expertise to help facilities protect their primary revenue center — the OR.” Somnia has a proven record of delivering near perfect surgeon and patient satisfaction, and dramatically lowering or completely eliminating anesthesia subsidies – more than 95 percent of its engagements require no stipend. Its methods have proven to improve a client's bottom line by as much as 30 percent.
Somnia's Exceptional Results
| Surgeon Satisfaction | 100 percent |
| Patient Satisfaction | 97 percent |
| Coverage | 100 percent |
| No Subsidy Required | 95 percent of Clients |
| Collections | 30 percent above market average |
| Managed Care Contracting | 30 percent above MGMA standards |
| Clinician Retention | 96.6 percent - Highest in U.S. |
“At Somnia, we've developed a simple two-team/two-goals mantra.” explains Koch. “Our local teams of physicians and CRNAs focus solely on patient care and are free from administrative hassles, while our National Support Team is focused on improving revenue. Exceptional Results come from each team doing what it does best.”
To fuel its aggressive growth strategy in 2009, Somnia is making new investments in talent, creating new strategic partnerships, and launching a re-branding campaign that leverages success stories from hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and office-based surgical facilities, who credit Somnia, in part, for their success.
Clinical Expertise
- Somnia congratulates its client, the New York GI Center which was recently honored for its patient care and safety by the Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy which included NYGIC on its 2009 Top 50 Honoree List.
Operational Expertise
- The Kentucky Surgery Center ranks among the Top 5 U.S. ASCs in case volume.
- The Endoscopy Center of Maryland's Robert Finkel, MD says, “Somnia provides exceptional clinical care and has enabled us to perform significantly more cases than we did prior to them coming.”
Source: Somnia