Here are 10 numbers illustrating the crisis:
$20.44. The CMS anesthesia conversion factor fell to $20.44 per unit in 2024, down from $22.27 per unit in 2019.
15%. Effective Oct. 1, UnitedHealthcare cut reimbursements for independently practicing CRNAs by 15% for anesthesia services billed under the QZ modifier. CRNAs in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Wyoming are exempt.
44%. The share of ASCs expecting to pay anesthesia stipends jumped from 28% in 2024 to 44% in 2025, according to a VMG Health report. Stipends were once rare in the ASC model. They are now close to standard.
67%. Sixty-seven percent of ASC leaders ranked anesthesia coverage as a top concern for 2026, per the same VMG Health survey, which had the highest share on record for the issue.
$263,960. CRNAs working in outpatient care centers report an average annual wage of $263,960, significantly higher than peers employed in physician offices or hospitals. The premium reflects demand. It also reflects what ASCs are being asked to sustain at the same time reimbursement shrinks.
6,300. By 2036, the U.S. is expected to face a shortage of 6,300 anesthesiologists nationwide, according to a Medicus Healthcare Solutions white paper. By 2033, the U.S. is also projected to face a shortage of about 12,500 CRNAs, which is nearly 22% of the current workforce.
50%. The anesthesiology specialty reported a 50% burnout rate in 2024, and 40.6% of anesthesiologists plan to leave their current roles within two years. Reimbursement cuts landing on top of a workforce already at that level of attrition carry a compounding risk that stipend math alone can’t solve.
75%. Seventy-five percent of CRNAs reported practicing without physician oversight as of 2023.
80%. More than 80% of ASCs anticipate relying on contractor-based anesthesia arrangements in 2026, with 44% expecting to use an independent contractor with a stipend model. Only 9% of ASC leaders said they plan to staff anesthesia through a traditional employment agreement.
$444,468. The average total salary for anesthesiologists reached $444,468 as of mid-2025, according to salary transparency platform Marit Health.