The ANESTHESIOLOGY^® 2015 annual meeting will get off to an inspirational start at 9 a.m. this morning as Michael Abrashoff addresses attendees on leadership and organizational transformation.

Membership Matters is a communications campaign highlighting the value of ASA membership for all providers of anesthesia care, so the ASA Daily News asked attendees about the value of joining ASA.

A new vision in pain management is sweeping through anesthesiology. More effective pain management before, during and long after surgery can translate directly into improved outcomes, shorter length of stay, reduced costs and improved patient satisfaction.

Delivering anesthesia care isn’t always as efficient as it can be. It is not always the fault of anesthesiologists, surgeons or the team in the operating room (O.R.). Key drivers of inefficient care often come directly from having to deliver care in an inefficient environment. In recent years, process and architectural design specialists have been transforming the way health care is delivered.

Advance directives are not always helpful. Take the patient who needs a palliative surgery but has a do not resuscitate (DNR) order. Safely administering anesthesia is difficult enough without a DNR order in place. If the patient is 15, old enough to voice considered opinions about resuscitation but not old enough to give legal consent, the physician anesthesiologist can be in a difficult position.

Every physician anesthesiologist should know which patients are at elevated risk for fire hazards — surgery above T5 and the use of an ignition source in proximity to an oxidizer-enriched atmosphere. Yet despite the knowledge, surgical fires are a continuing hazard to patients, to health care providers and to facilities.

ASA is unveiling three major clinical trials Sunday with simultaneous publication in major medical journals. This is the first year the Society is presenting key results on the day of publication.

Every physician anesthesiologist remembers the long, fatigue-filled and sometimes difficult hours of residency. A growing body of evidence suggests that fatigue is more than feeling tired. Fatigue can be an important factor in patient safety and physician health.

The health care system of the future will demand delivery of greater value at reduced costs. The leaders of this system will need new skill sets and the ability to adapt to an ever-changing variety of market forces.