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Sounds like the sort of hand-wavey corporate nonsense lackeys like to believe when private equity exploits them - and they can’t give an actual objective explanation of how the business is structured.
FTC sues private-equity backed anesthesia staffing firm, saying it tried to corner the market and drive up prices
Started by dmk5n
They are not taking care of their clinicians - several are very upset. they are not letting them transfer divisions for a year as part of the settlement. They will have jobs with the new company coming into those sites - but that company is worse than USAP. Another PE shady AMC that won’t even go by its real name on this deal. So far their offers have been terrible. If they don’t up the offers all I talked to will leave. So, in 90 days or so, don’t be a scab for cheap…. Make them pay dearly for Locums coverage
Weak, and this "buddy" couldn't tell you over a phone call what the details were without anything on record? Unless there was a NDA signed, the lack of information is lazy and weak, and also useless.
Settlement reached. Terms not yet disclosed.
USAP Reaches Agreement in Principle with Federal Trade Commission
/PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Anesthesia Partners, Inc. (USAP) announced today that it has reached an agreement in principle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)...www.prnewswire.com
FTC Charts Path to Restore Competition in Texas Anesthesia Markets in USAP Litigation
The Federal Trade Commission has reached an agreement in principle with U.S. Anesthesia Partners Inc. (USAP) to settle the litigation and restore competition for anesthesia services in Texas.www.ftc.gov
"The settlement is subject to several conditions, and any final settlement will be made without an admission of fault by USAP."
🥱, no details, don't care, useless information.
It doesn’t matter what facilities they are giving up - I know in dallas. They’re not important sites- all ones USAP hasn’t really wanted anyway and have been problem sites before. It doesn’t matter because the PE group taking over all the sites is worse than USAP. The FTC is useless… they’ve done nothing but waste tax payer dollars. They haven’t opened the market to better paying jobs for drs… they haven’t helped patients get good affordable care… if anything this will disrupt patient access to care… they just made an F’ed up anesthesia market worse. Stupid FTC. Stupid government.
Maybe it’s different in Houston but that’s my take on what’s going down in dallas. Useless waste of taxpayer dollars - If anything will hurt patient access to good care
Maybe it’s different in Houston but that’s my take on what’s going down in dallas. Useless waste of taxpayer dollars - If anything will hurt patient access to good care
You have more intel than I got from a few texts. The guy I know is not affected by this move. I didn’t push for details because if he was going to spill anything he would have without me making the ask. He wouldn’t even tell me which facilities. It will be interesting to learn in the future how all of this went down. USAP got to pick the sites to give up? Sounds like they get to prune the dead/dying branches from the tree facility-wise?
I misunderstood the clinician thing - I inferred the docs got to move to another USAP facility, not be let go or given to another company. Were any of these guys “partners” and, if so, what does that say about USAP partnership if you can get traded to another company like a professional athlete?? How did the PE firm even get picked? Do the facilities even get any say into this?
I agree, what a waste of money. And talk about being commoditized as a clinician.
Everyone should leave. Chaos is good for business as I stated several times. Making admin pay for their poor decisions.
I think so many people are afraid to see new opportunities. I used to be afraid. I’m not afraid any more.
I’m negotiating big time with another locums contract for me and my boys. Tell them 10 of us are available and give them global coverage. U gotta team up like avengers to maximize ur money these days.
My friends are planning to leave. The problem is lots of those hospitals are HCA and they penny pinch for stockholder benefit. One of the other hospitals has a terrible payor mix and a sick poor population. They’re just ****ty contracts. They’ve all been problem children to cover in the past.
From Gemini. Is it correct that USAP was doing billing and contracting for other “independent” groups?
“End of "Price-Setting" Alliances: Beyond outright acquisitions, USAP was accused of managing the billing for independent groups in Dallas at USAP's much higher negotiated rates. The settlement is expected to ban these alliances, forcing groups to negotiate their own rates based on their own market value.“
“End of "Price-Setting" Alliances: Beyond outright acquisitions, USAP was accused of managing the billing for independent groups in Dallas at USAP's much higher negotiated rates. The settlement is expected to ban these alliances, forcing groups to negotiate their own rates based on their own market value.“
Gemini?
Nothing would surprise me. USAP did act as consultants for practices… idk to what extent.
Nothing would surprise me. USAP did act as consultants for practices… idk to what extent.
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Google AI. I tested it by asking questions about my own practice and our local market which I know intimately well. It was largely accurate but got one important aspect wrong. Seems to get a lot of its information from SDN and Reddit…lol
This is why aneftp flooding the forum with his crazy comp numbers is great for our community. It may make some feel insecure about their own comp, but it’s flooding the airwaves with (mis?)information that can distort expectations in a favorable direction.
Whether it’s AI scraping, admin snooping, or job seekers being influenced to push for better comp, it’s a net benefit for us all.
There are two schools of thought. Usap has to get bigger to enforce its market force.
Guess what happens when you cannot merge and get bigger. You die in this era. Not to get political. But u can’t avoid being political.
Spirit airlines ceased operations this morning may 2 2026. It’s been in bankruptcy twice and the Trump administration final 500 million bailout was rejected by creditors.
Why am i mentioning spirit airlines ? Because joey dementia Biden administration blocked JetBlue and spirit merger. Citing “disruptive forces” the merger would increase prices. Guess what? Spirit is gone now. And jet blue is struggling. The big fish delta United and American Airlines will raise prices even higher
So in the anesthesia world. The little anesthesia companies will all die a slow death and many are dying. Now is this fair what’s happening to little usap? Think about this. Why are hospitals allowed to gobble up other hospitals? They get to get bigger. And jack up facility fees on insurance. And insurance doesn’t pick on hospitals.
Guess what happens when you cannot merge and get bigger. You die in this era. Not to get political. But u can’t avoid being political.
Spirit airlines ceased operations this morning may 2 2026. It’s been in bankruptcy twice and the Trump administration final 500 million bailout was rejected by creditors.
Why am i mentioning spirit airlines ? Because joey dementia Biden administration blocked JetBlue and spirit merger. Citing “disruptive forces” the merger would increase prices. Guess what? Spirit is gone now. And jet blue is struggling. The big fish delta United and American Airlines will raise prices even higher
So in the anesthesia world. The little anesthesia companies will all die a slow death and many are dying. Now is this fair what’s happening to little usap? Think about this. Why are hospitals allowed to gobble up other hospitals? They get to get bigger. And jack up facility fees on insurance. And insurance doesn’t pick on hospitals.
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I do agree that antitrust enforcement is one sided. Waiting to see regional hospital systems and national insurance companies be broken up.
Highly likely, unfortunately 🙁
Ban non competes. Allow people to sue insurance companies for damages not just the cost of denied procedures. Make administrators carry insurance so when they make bone head decisions that negatively affect patient care they pay. Transition all insurance companies to non profit. Eliminate publicly traded companies and private equity from health care. This should be Elizabeth Warren’s platform instead of jumping up and down about subsidies.
Subsidies! To billion dollar companies! Ridiculous.
Subsidies! To billion dollar companies! Ridiculous.
U sorta of want to throw up when u hear the AHA response to why non competes should exist
AHA Response to FTC RFI on Employer Noncompete Agreements | AHA
the American Hospital Association thanks the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for dismissing its appeals in Ryan, LLC v. FTC, No. 24-10951 (5th Cir.), and Properties of the Villages v. FTC, No. 24-13102 (11th Cir.), and acceding to the vacatur of the Non-Compete Clause Rule.
We all know it’s about control.
My hospital employed surgeon friends are deeply hurt by non competes.
“Third, the FTC’s own cited evidence indicates that the use of non-compete clauses increases the rate of earnings growth for physicians. The evidentiary record submitted by the FTC in connection with its now-vacated rule makes this clear. Throughout the proposed rule, the FTC cited to the Lavetti, Simon, and White study focusing on physician earnings, infra n. 10. As the Commission observed at that time, that study found that the “use of non-compete clauses among physicians is associated with greater earnings (by 14%) and greater earnings growth.”16”
Thera a lot of crap especially for specialists who commmad far greater income potential in the free market such as urology and orthopedic and neurosurgery.
The way my surgeon friends are their hospital employee contracts is they get guaranteed a base salary X amount (generally in the 400s/500s range) for X years (2-3) plus rvu (which can be as low as $40 to as high as $100). After the base units. Essentially after around 600-700k a hospital employee surgeon income is really capped since it’s so rvu dependent especially after the contract expires. You can work like a dog and not make more than the upper end of 600-700k in many surgery specialities. When their earning potential is 1.5 million (like my ortho buddy who has his own practice the last 10 years). His income was essentially capped around 750-800k being hospital employee. Of course hospitals will say he doesn’t need an office or staff. But that pales in comparison to what he generates in facility fees since he gets x amount from the surgery center he has a stake in.
The nursing union is so strong so the aha will want to throw the public a bone and still want to keep physicians tied to non competes. Which is a load of crap again because they know without docs. Hospitals lose control.
I had no idea my 5k/year in CME money was making me more valuable than other doctorsU sorta of want to throw up when u hear the AHA response to why non competes should exist
AHA Response to FTC RFI on Employer Noncompete Agreements | AHA
the American Hospital Association thanks the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for dismissing its appeals in Ryan, LLC v. FTC, No. 24-10951 (5th Cir.), and Properties of the Villages v. FTC, No. 24-13102 (11th Cir.), and acceding to the vacatur of the Non-Compete Clause Rule.www.aha.org
We all know it’s about control.
My hospital employed surgeon friends are deeply hurt by non competes.
“Third, the FTC’s own cited evidence indicates that the use of non-compete clauses increases the rate of earnings growth for physicians. The evidentiary record submitted by the FTC in connection with its now-vacated rule makes this clear. Throughout the proposed rule, the FTC cited to the Lavetti, Simon, and White study focusing on physician earnings, infra n. 10. As the Commission observed at that time, that study found that the “use of non-compete clauses among physicians is associated with greater earnings (by 14%) and greater earnings growth.”16”
Thera a lot of crap especially for specialists who commmad far greater income potential in the free market such as urology and orthopedic and neurosurgery.
The way my surgeon friends are their hospital employee contracts is they get guaranteed a base salary X amount (generally in the 400s/500s range) for X years (2-3) plus rvu (which can be as low as $40 to as high as $100). After the base units. Essentially after around 600-700k a hospital employee surgeon income is really capped since it’s so rvu dependent especially after the contract expires. You can work like a dog and not make more than the upper end of 600-700k in many surgery specialities. When their earning potential is 1.5 million (like my ortho buddy who has his own practice the last 10 years). His income was essentially capped around 750-800k being hospital employee. Of course hospitals will say he doesn’t need an office or staff. But that pales in comparison to what he generates in facility fees since he gets x amount from the surgery center he has a stake in.
The nursing union is so strong so the aha will want to throw the public a bone and still want to keep physicians tied to non competes. Which is a load of crap again because they know without docs. Hospitals lose control.
Sounds like you’re forming a traditional PP group…
I’ve told the ASA leadership over and over again that they have a duty to advocate against non-competes and they just refuse to… because they’re corporate-captive shills.
They even told me the members WANT noncompete agreements, using the same sham logic you cited from AHA.
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ASA is run by a bunch of sell out clowns
The ASA needs to get us in the section 199A carve out as well. That’s where the real money is. But they won’t, because the ASA is weak. The architects got themselves in.
