Does Your Schooling Actually Matter If You're Not Solving Problems for Surgeons and Patients?
Key Takeaways
- MD-only anesthesia care is significantly decreasing across the country due to shifting economics rather than purely political or scope-of-practice battles.
- Data shows that QZ billing is up 15%, team-based coverage is up 30%, and Florida has seen CRNA-involved cases rise to roughly 90%.
- Andrew Woodmancey argues that the core economic problem facing the industry is reimbursement structures and internal infighting rather than just scope of practice.
- Credentials and years of training alone do not guarantee economic value; the market ultimately rewards those who solve real operational problems for surgeons and patients.
- Transitioning from a traditional one-to-three model to zone coverage requires intentional change management to maintain efficiency and safety.
Anesthesia coverage is now the single most cited financial headache for surgery center leaders in the country, and MD-only care is disappearing fast: QZ billing is up 15%, team-based coverage is up 30%, and CRNA-involved cases have nearly doubled in Florida over 14 years. Joe Rodriguez sits down with Randy Moore, Chief CRNA and Chief Strategy Officer at North Star Anesthesia, and first-time guest Andrew Woodmancey, founder and managing partner of Anesthesia Operations Consultants, a mid-sized consulting firm based in Florida, to break down what's actually driving these numbers.
They don't agree on all of it.
The conversation opens with a new VMG Health survey on where anesthesia subsidies are headed in 2026, then moves into the billing data behind the shift away from MD-only care. Andrew, brought on as the non-clinical voice in the room, argues the real economic problem is reimbursement and industry infighting, not scope-of-practice fights.
Joe pushes further, arguing that credentials alone don't guarantee value: the market only pays for solving someone else's problem, and if surgeons can eventually do it without anesthesia providers, they will. Randy and Joe also spar over how much weight to give data versus identity in shaping the industry's direction. Also in this one: what change management actually looks like for an anesthesiologist moving from a one-to-three model to zone coverage, and why the math behind CRNA-only staffing might be quietly reversing in some markets.
TAKEAWAYS
1. MD-only anesthesia care is significantly decreasing, not because of politics or scope-of-practice wins, but because the economics stopped supporting it. QZ billing is up 15%, team-based coverage up 30%.
2. In Florida, roughly 90% of anesthesia cases now involve a CRNA, up from about 70%.
3. Credentials alone don't create economic value. Value in this market is transactional to some degree, tied to solving someone else's problem, not to years of training.
4. QZ utilization is increasing across states, though unevenly, some markets seeing modest growth, others far more dramatic shifts. MD-only care is significantly decreasing nationally, and medical direction/team models are increasing at varying rates by state.
Want more Dr. Joe Rodriguez? Tik Tok: @jrodcrna21 Instagram: @jrod.crna & @abouttherestpod YouTube: @AboutTheRest Thanks for my co-hosts: Randy Moore (EVP & National Chief CRNA, NorthStar Anesthesia)
Gary Keeling (VP of Anesthesia Services, Coronis RCM) To Learn More about Human Content Visit: http://www.human-content.com To Learn More about About The Rest Visit: www.abouttherest.com Got a Question? hello@abouttherest.com Part of the Human Content Podcast Network
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is MD-only anesthesia care declining?
MD-only anesthesia care is decreasing primarily because the underlying economics no longer support it, forcing surgery centers to adopt more cost-effective team-based models.
What role does Andrew Woodmancey play in the episode?
Andrew Woodmancey, founder and managing partner of Anesthesia Operations Consultants, joins as the non-clinical voice to break down the billing data, reimbursement realities, and industry infighting.
How have CRNA-involved anesthesia cases changed in Florida?
Over a 14-year period in Florida, CRNA-involved cases have nearly doubled, rising from about 70% to roughly 90% of all anesthesia cases.