A cost that barely existed for most ASCs five years ago is now one of the industry’s fastest-growing line items.
The share of centers paying anesthesia stipends jumped from 28% to 44% in a single year, anesthesiologist pay has hit seven figures in some markets, and the workforce shortage driving it all is projected to deepen for another decade. Here are 10 numbers behind the stipend crisis reshaping ASC finances.
28% to 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, a 57% increase in a single year.
67%. Sixty-percent of ASC leaders ranked anesthesia coverage among their top three financial challenges for 2026, according to the same VMG Health survey — making it the most commonly cited operational concern heading into the year.
80%+. More than 80% of ASCs anticipate relying on contractor-based anesthesia coverage in 2026, with 44% planning to use independent contractors with stipends and another 36% without, according to VMG Health. Only 9% of ASC leaders said they plan to staff anesthesia through a traditional employment agreement.
5.5%. Average professional anesthesia reimbursement has fallen 5.5% since 2019, dropping from $22.27 per unit to $21.88 per unit in 2023.
$231,700. The average annual salary for CRNAs has increased from $181,040 in 2019 to $231,700 in 2024, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, which is a $50,000 increase, or roughly 28%, over six years. As of April 2026, average CRNA annual salary has climbed further to $276,434.
7 figures. Advertised W-2 base pay for physician anesthesiologists reached seven figures for the first time in the first quarter of 2026, according to anesthesia career platform BagMask.com. In fourth-quarter 2025, advertised salaries typically ran from roughly $400,000 to more than $650,000.
41%. Nearly 41% of anesthesiologists expressed an interest in leaving their current roles within the next two years, according to a June 2025 American Medical Association report. This is the highest desire to leave of any physician specialty.