One of the most useful benefits to ASA members and their departments is the availability of the Anesthesia Consultation Program (CP). Reports from this program appear periodically in the ASA NEWSLETTER to update the membership on issues confronting departments and hospitals. William Montgomery, M.D. and James Hicks, M.D. published the last such report in January 2010. Since that time, the CP has undergone several changes. This article will update readers on these changes and outline services available when an experienced consultant team from your ASA is requested to help improve quality and promote excellence in your department or hospital. Have the reasons for consultations changed? What about the process? How much does it cost? Has the program been a success? And who are these consultants, anyway?
The program began in 1981 as a result of the efforts of the California Society of Anesthesiologists and the ASA Committee on Peer Review....
