We hope you’re enjoying the meeting so far and that you’re finding the interface to be intuitive and enjoyable. If you haven’t done so already, there are two very simple actions you can take to make sure your schedule and agenda are fully maximized.

When COVID-19 numbers spiked in New York City last spring, it was bigger than anything doctors there had ever seen before. It demanded ingenuity and the ability to adapt and skillfully steer through a learning curve at record speed. Doctors are still trying to process mentally, physically, and logistically everything that has happened since then, but are ready to share some of what they learned on the frontlines.

The current pandemic and resulting health care climate have wrought enormous amounts of stress on physicians—and sometimes, this spirals out of control, leading to substance abuse.

COVID-19 has affected every conceivable facet of the heath care industry, but few have been affected more than anesthesiology. This fact informs one of the key “lessons learned” that will be featured during the Saturday session “Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation Panel: Ten Patient Safety Issues We’ve Learned from the COVID Pandemic.”

Tony Yaksh, PhD, MS, Professor and Vice Chair of Research at the University of California, San Diego, explores this pain conundrum when he delivers today’s “FAER-Helrich Research Lecture: Why Is Pain Such a Tough Nut to Crack?: A Mechanistic Perspective on Our Emphasis upon Neuraxial Processing.”

Being a successful anesthesiologist goes beyond just being a good doctor. It’s also about being good at business. The ability to follow and even predict business trends, keep up with the compensation structures for various care team models, and analyze billing metrics to optimize financial outcomes represent a fraction of the business acumen anesthesiologists must possess to be successful in their practice. 

If ever there were a time to ensure timely and safe access to ventilators, it’s now. That’s behind the longstanding engagement of the FDA Centers for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) and members of the Society for Technology in Anesthesia (STA). These collaborations that began long before COVID-19 provided a foundation for rapid response to the pandemic.

This year, the largest educational and scientific meeting in the specialty has been re-envisioned to fit onto your laptop or mobile device. We’ve been working non-stop to make your virtual experience as efficient and enjoyable as possible.

Like many other aspects of ANESTHESIOLOGY 2020, the exhibitor activities planned for this year will be unlike any other—not just because they are all virtual, but because they offer more opportunity for engagement than any meeting before it.

According to 2020 Pierce Lecturer Matthew B. Weinger, MD, MS, patient safety is being threatened by competing pressures within health care to deliver more and better care at lower cost.