American Society of Anesthesiologists

Abbreviation	ASA
Type	Professional association
Purpose	"To raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology and to improve patient care"
Headquarters	Schaumburg, Illinois, U.S.
Membership	57,000
Official language	English
President	Ronald Harter, M.D., FASA [1][2]
Website	http://www.asahq.org

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is a professional association of physicians in the field of anesthesiology.

As of 2023, the organization included more than 57,000 national and international members and has more than 100 full-time employees.

Anesthesiologists are among the most well-paid physicians in the United States, earning an average salary of $472,000 in 2023.^[3]

Anesthesiology's roots date back to the mid-19th century. On March 30, 1842, Crawford Long, M.D. administered the first ether anesthetic for surgery and operated to remove a tumor from a patient's neck. After the surgery, the patient revealed that he felt nothing and was not aware the surgery was over until he awoke. This was the start of a specialty critical to modern medicine, anesthesiology.^{[citation needed]}

In 1905, nine physicians (from Long Island, N.Y.) organized the first professional anesthesia society. In 1911, the Society expanded to 23 members and became the New York Society of Anesthetists. Over the next 25 years, involvement in anesthesia-related issues grew and attracted other interested physicians nationwide. In 1936, the Society changed its name to the American Society of Anesthetists. In 1945, the organization moved to become the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). In 1960, the ASA established an Executive Office in Park Ridge, Illinois to meet growing membership and patient-care demands. In 2014, the ASA opened new headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois.^[4]

In the 2000s, the ASA lobbied to force anesthesiologists to be in the hospital room whenever an anesthesia drug was administered to patients during colonoscopies. At the time, others contended that anesthesia drugs, such as propofol, could be safely administered to patients by non-anesthesiologists, leading to vastly lower health care prices.^[5]

The ASA has lobbied to prevent nurse anesthetists from administering anesthesia without doctor supervision.^[6][7][8]

Anesthesiologists in the United States self-report the time that they spend providing anesthesia care. Studies have found evidence that anesthesiologists engage in anomalous billing and revenue-maximizing behavior by inflating the time spent providing care.^[9][10] In 2024, Anthem proposed changes to its insurance reimbursement in several states, implementing a time limit for anesthesia care, refusing to reimburse beyond the time limit.^[11] The ASA criticized this change and said it would jeopardize patient care.^[11]

Membership is open to holders of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degrees who are licensed practitioners and have successfully completed a training program in anesthesiology approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA).^{[citation needed]}

The ASA also maintains an active resident component, medical student component as well as an anesthesiologist assistant component. Non-physician providers of anesthesia care (anesthesiologist assistants, nurse anesthetists, dentist, veterinarians, APRNs) can join as educational members.^[12]

ASA is governed by its House of Delegates. The House of Delegates is composed of ASA delegates and directors (designated by geographic distribution), ASA officers, all past presidents, the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, the chairs of all sections, the chair of the ASA delegation to the American Medical Association House of Delegates and each member of the Resident Component Governing Council not to exceed five members and a non-voting member of the Medical Student component. The House of Delegates meets each year during the Society's Annual Meeting.^{[citation needed]}

Meetings are held annually and are based on scientific progress in the anesthesiology fields.|^[13]

The Society publishes multiple academic resources in the following categories:^[14]

• Practice Management
• Practice Parameters
• Continuing Education
• Patient Education
• Patient Safety/Risk Management and Quality Improvement
• Periodicals
  • ASA Monitor (newsletter)|^[15]
  • Anesthesiology
• Physician Booklets

While all anesthesiologists complete a minimum of eight years of medical training after college, some anesthesiologists have additional training (called a fellowship) in a specific area of anesthesiology. The ABA offers specific certifications in some of these areas. Anesthesiologists are not required to subspecialize, but many do focus on one area of care to further hone their expertise. These specialty areas include, but are not limited to:^{[citation needed]}

• Ambulatory Anesthesia
• Cardiac Anesthesia
• Critical Care Anesthesia
• Geriatric Anesthesia
• Neuroanesthesia
• Obstetric Anesthesia
• Pain Medicine
• Pediatric Anesthesia
• Perioperative Anesthesia
• Professional Issues
• Regional and Acute Anesthesia

• Official website