SA has nearly 100 committees, subcommittees and task forces whose volunteer members attend to the diverse needs and interests of our Society. One of these committees, the Committee on Economics (COE), focuses on an issue important to every practicing anesthesiologist — ensuring fair payment from all payers for our services while minimizing burdensome administrative barriers to receiving such payment.

The ASA Bylaws direct COE to “review and disseminate information” on the economics of anesthesiology practice; to analyze “public and private payer” plans; to advise ASA leadership, the Board of Directors, the House of Delegates and other committees on economic issues; and to serve as a resource to the state component societies.¹ To accomplish these “many missions,”² COE represents the ASA membership on the American Medical Association’s Current Procedural Terminology (CPT ^®) Advisory Committee and the AMA/Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC). COE also has helped to place committee members on private insurer national advisory committees and has established liaisons with all the major anesthesiology subspecialty organizations. In addition, the committee has helped to place ASA members on important governmental advisory committees such as the Practicing Physicians Advisory Council and the Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee.

COE is responsible for creating and annually updating two very important ASA publications, the Relative Value Guide™ and the ASA CROSSWALK^®. These coding resources help all anesthesiologists to bill correctly for professional services. Working with counsel in the ASA Washington Office, members of COE also help to evaluate applications from those who wish to license the use of this valuable intellectual property in non-ASA publications and commercial products.

Much of the work of COE involves the development and valuation of procedure codes to describe the work we do every day. Through our participation at CPT and RUC, we have been very successful in ensuring that new or evolving diagnostic and therapeutic services do have procedure codes with reasonable values to describe the anesthetic care we offer. We also are looking to the future,³ preparing for possible major changes in the health care payment system and those arising from the pay-for-performance movement.

Many members of COE, both past and present, have worked tirelessly for many years to achieve improved payment from the Medicare program. This year our representatives to RUC convinced that body and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that Medicare grossly undervalues the work we do. In July, CMS proposed increasing Medicare’s anesthesia conversion factor substantially. We anticipate that Medicare will announce its final decision on this proposed increase around the time this issue of the NEWSLETTER arrives in your mailbox. Stay tuned!

The hardworking and talented members of COE come from a broad variety of practice types and represent all regions of the country. We have active participation by our resident members as well. This issue of the NEWSLETTER features several articles written by members of COE that highlight our efforts to preserve and strengthen the financial underpinnings of our profession on your behalf.

References:
1. American Society of Anesthesiologists. ASA Bylaws. www.ASAhq.org/publicationsAndServices/bylaws.pdf.
2. McMichael JP. The many missions of the committee on economics. ASA Newsl. 2004; 68(7):32-33. www.ASAhq.org/Newsletters/2004/07_04mcmichael.html.
3. Cohen NA. Disruption and discontent: Future trends in the economics of anesthesiology practice. ASA Newsl. 2007; 71(4):11-12. www.ASAhq.org/Newsletters/2007/04-07/cohen04_07.html.
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Norman A. Cohen, M.D., is Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Peri-Operative Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.

Stanley, W. Stead, M.D., M.B.A., is CEO, Stead Health Group, Inc., and Clinical Professor of Anesthesia and Pain Management, University of California-Davis, Encino, California.