Anesthesia staffing and management companies place CRNAs at hospitals and surgery centers. They solve real problems for facilities and for CRNAs. They also take a share of the money between the facility and you.
What a staffing company does for you
- Finds the work and negotiates the facility contract.
- Handles credentialing, malpractice cover and scheduling.
- Bills payers, or invoices the facility, and pays you a rate.
- Absorbs the risk of slow months and cancelled cases.
In both cases someone handles contracts, scheduling, credentialing and billing. The question is whether you pay a company to do it, or do it (with help) and keep the difference.
What owning the group changes
When you own the group, the facility contract and the payer revenue belong to your company. You take on the work the staffing company did: contracts, coverage, credentialing and billing. In return, the margin that went to the middle stays with you and your CRNAs.
| Staffing or management company | Your own group | |
|---|---|---|
| Finding work | They do it | You build relationships with facilities |
| Contract with the facility | Theirs | Yours |
| Billing and collections | Theirs | Yours, or a billing company you hire |
| Schedule and coverage | They fill gaps | You fill gaps, often by hiring CRNAs |
| Pay | A rate they set | What the group earns, after costs |
| If the facility leaves | They place you elsewhere | You lose that revenue |
Questions to ask before you leave a staffing company
- Does your agreement have a non-compete or non-solicit clause covering the facilities you work at?
- Would the facility contract with a CRNA group directly, and is it in an opt-out state or happy with supervision arrangements?
- Is there enough case volume to pay you and at least one more CRNA?
- Who would do the billing? Groups that bill well collect noticeably more on the same cases.
Have a healthcare attorney read your current agreement before you talk to the facility. Breaking a restrictive covenant can cost more than the move earns.
Run your own numbers. The should I start my own CRNA group? calculator compares your W-2 pay with owning a group, and the startup cash calculator shows how much you need to cover the wait for your first payments.
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Talk to a healthcare attorney and an accountant before you form a company.