The Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) concept was developed in 2011 following more than a decade of discussion by ASA and the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) over concern from the late 1990s that physician anesthesiologists were losing involvement and influence in patient care outside of the O.R.1 The goals of the PSH are to improve patient care and outcomes, as well as increase value throughout the perioperative environment. Multiple different care models have been developed in an effort to achieve these goals, including anesthesiologist-, hospitalist-, surgeon- and nurse practitioner/physician assistant-led teams. Despite the variety of models and providers, there is very little data to support that one group provides better, more efficient or higher-quality care than the others.
The PSH is an opportunity for our specialty to secure its place in the future of medicine. In order for physician anesthesiologists to lead this effort, we will need to show...