IndustrySun, Apr 12, 2026
No Surprises Act: Anesthesia Wins ~80% of IDR Cases, but $4.1M Underpayment Suit Filed
A Brookings databook on NSA arbitration shows providers prevailing in ~80% of IDR cases, with median awards 3.72x
the qualifying payment amount, 2.04x median in-network rates, and 4.5x Medicare. In December, 33 NorthStar Anesthesia
providers sued Aetna and Cigna for $4.1M in alleged unpaid IDR awards — a case that will test enforcement teeth in
the post-implementation phase.
IndustryThu, Jan 22, 2026
FTC Settles Welsh Carson / U.S. Anesthesia Partners Antitrust Case
In January 2026, the FTC announced a settlement with Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe over allegations its USAP
portfolio company executed an anticompetitive Texas roll-up. Welsh Carson must obtain FTC approval before any future
anesthesia investment nationally and before any controlled anesthesia business acquires within the same MSA. The
settlement signals continued antitrust scrutiny of PE in anesthesia even under a second Trump administration.
IndustryWed, Oct 8, 2025
GLP-1 Perioperative Guidance: Most Patients Continue, Highest-Risk Switch to Liquids
The 2024 multi-society update (ASA, AGA, ASGE, ASMBS, IARS, SAMBA) eased the prior recommendation to hold GLP-1s
before surgery: most patients may continue their drug; only those at highest aspiration risk should follow a 24-hour
clear-liquid diet, with point-of-care gastric ultrasound recommended pre-induction. A 2026 review of the guidance is
on the calendar as evidence on dose-phase risk matures.