Anesthesia Business in 2026: AI and Group vs. Payer Trench Warfare

Anesthesia groups and payers have always fought over reimbursement. AI just changed the weapons. Joe Rodriguez sits down with Randy Moore of NorthStar Anesthesia and Gary Keeling of Coronis Health to break down the AI billing arms race, what a new BCBS study revealing $942 million in AI-driven billing means for premiums, and why insurers may not actually want perfect billing. They also cover the latest CRNA opt-out news, the state of independent dispute resolution (IDR) under the No Surprises Act, and the factor that quietly decides which anesthesia groups thrive: leadership and culture. Takeaways: AI is escalating the oldest fight in healthcare. Providers use AI to capture more revenue; payers are building AI to deny more claims. BCBS alone points to $942 million in AI-driven billing. Insurers may not want perfect billing. Errors create room for denials. Expect humans in the loop for a long time. Patients pay for the arms race. Higher billing costs to payers move into premiums. AI makes knowledge cheap. The premium shifts to people who frame the right questions and execute. IDR works, but it isn't free money. Fees, months of float, contract exposure, and payer pushback make execution the difference. Leadership decides which contracts survive. Site-level clinical leadership and culture matter more than most groups treat them. _____________ Want more Dr. Joe Rodriguez? Tik Tok: @jrodcrna21 Instagram: @jrod.crna & @abouttherestpod YouTube: @AboutTheRest Thanks for my co-hosts: Randy Moore (EVP & National Chief CRNA, NorthStar Anesthesia) Gary Keeling (VP of Anesthesia Services, Coronis RCM) To Learn More about Human Content Visit: ⁠⁠⁠http://www.human-content.com⁠⁠⁠ To Learn More about About The Rest Visit: www.abouttherest.com Got a Question? [email protected] Part of the Human Content Podcast Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices