Jack Dillon, CEO, Anesthesia Practice Consultants

Summary

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: In-Depth Summary of Episode Featuring Jack Dillon, CEO of Anesthesia Practice Consultants

Release Date: August 2, 2025

In this episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast, host Grace Lynn Keller engages in a comprehensive discussion with Jack Dillon, CEO of Anesthesia Practice Consultants, at the live recording of the 22nd Annual Spine, Orthopedic, and Pain Management Conference. The conversation delves into critical trends shaping the healthcare landscape, with a particular focus on anesthesia practices, staffing challenges, the growth of outpatient care, and the integration of innovative technologies.

---

1. Introduction to Jack Dillon and Anesthesia Practice Consultants

Grace Lynn Keller opens the dialogue by introducing Jack Dillon, highlighting his role as CEO of Anesthesia Practice Consultants and Executive Director for the Association for Independent Medicine. Dillon underscores the organization's mission to support independent anesthesia practices across various subspecialties, emphasizing adaptability in the evolving healthcare environment.

Key Quote:

"We’re a large network nationally of independent practices, mostly anesthesia, but crosses all subspecialties that focuses on independent practice, private practice, and how do we thrive in this ever-changing healthcare environment."
– Jack Dillon (00:54)

---

2. Current Industry Trends and Shifts

Dillon identifies staffing as the most significant shift impacting the healthcare industry over recent years. He highlights the dual focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and anesthesia as predominant themes across conference sessions.

Key Points:

• Staffing Challenges: While anesthesia staffing remains manageable, there's a notable increase in burnout rates across practices.
• AI Integration: The rise of AI is a central topic, indicating its growing influence in healthcare processes and decision-making.
• Procedural and Surgical Time Management: Emphasizes the need for innovative approaches to manage time efficiently amidst rising workloads.

Key Quote:

"Burnout is rapidly increasing. It might not feel like it for some people, but it’s certainly something we’re seeing across practices."
– Jack Dillon (01:37)

---

3. Navigating Staffing and Workforce Challenges

In addressing workforce pressures, Dillon elaborates on the transformed landscape of anesthesia staffing compared to a decade ago. He points out increased patient complexity and extended surgical hours as primary factors exacerbating staffing demands.

Key Points:

• Evolving Workload: The nature of anesthesia work has become more demanding due to sicker patients and longer operation times.
• Shift from Traditional Models: Traditional block time and surgical scheduling models are outdated, leading to increased operational pressures.
• Employee Well-being: Highlights the importance of providing staff with better work-life balance, autonomy, and maintaining compensation, even within constrained payment models like Medicaid and Medicare.

Key Quote:

"We have to really be mindful about where we're putting our people and giving our people appropriate reprieve."
– Jack Dillon (02:46)

---

4. The Growing Role of Outpatient Care in Orthopedics and Anesthesia

Dillon discusses the rapid expansion of outpatient surgical centers, particularly in orthopedics, comparing their proliferation to that of major retail chains like Starbucks. He acknowledges the attractiveness of these centers for healthcare professionals due to more predictable hours and improved patient profiles.

Key Points:

• Proliferation of Outpatient Centers: Significant growth in surgical and orthopedic centers offering outpatient services.
• Attractiveness for Staff: These centers provide desirable working conditions, such as predictable schedules and better payer mixes.
• Impact on Staffing: The shift towards outpatient settings offers healthcare professionals an appealing alternative to traditional hospital-based roles.

Key Quote:

"These are very desirable places for people to work. More predictable hours, healthier patients, better payer mix."
– Jack Dillon (04:09)

---

5. Innovations and Technological Advancements in Healthcare

Exploring the role of technology, Dillon highlights the burgeoning interest in AI and interdisciplinary technological solutions that span multiple specialties. He notes the importance of workflows that enhance consistency and efficiency across different healthcare domains.

Key Points:

• AI Modeling: Increasing focus on AI-driven solutions to optimize healthcare operations and patient outcomes.
• Cross-Specialty Technologies: Development of technologies that integrate across various medical specialties, fostering streamlined workflows.
• Tailored EMRs: Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are being adapted to better suit outpatient settings while maintaining cross-specialty coherence.

Key Quote:

"Technologies that are spanning specialties are really fascinating to me... it leads to workflows and better consistency."
– Jack Dillon (05:04)

---

6. Future Outlook and Final Thoughts

In concluding the conversation, Dillon expresses optimism about the future, predicting significant national changes in healthcare over the next three to five years. He emphasizes the importance of collaboration and collective resilience in navigating upcoming challenges.

Key Quote:

"The next three to five years are going to be a big shift for everybody working in healthcare. I think we're going to watch a lot of national change take place, and I think we’re in this better together."
– Jack Dillon (05:52)

---

Conclusion

This episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast provides valuable insights into the current and future state of anesthesia practices within the broader healthcare ecosystem. Jack Dillon's perspectives on staffing challenges, the growth of outpatient care, and the integration of innovative technologies offer a comprehensive understanding for healthcare leaders aiming to navigate and thrive in an ever-evolving industry landscape.

Transcript

[CareCredit Representative]

Looking for a solution that helps alleviate administrative tasks for your staff and also helps your patients cover their out of pocket health care expenses. Find what you're looking for from CareCredit because CareCredit is a credit card and more. It's a helping hand for staff and a flexible payment solution for patients. For over 30 years, CareCredit, a synchrony solution, has offered patients a credit card with promotional financing options to get the care they want while helping staff do what they do best. Provide care to. To learn more, visit carecredit.com beckerspodcast this.

[Grace Lynn Keller]

Is Grace Lynn Keller with the Beckers Healthcare Podcast and we are recording live the 22nd annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management Conference. I'm currently joined by Jack Dillon, who is the CEO at Anesthesia Practice Consultants. Jack, thank you for being here. Let's start off by having you share a little bit more about yourself, your role and your organization.

[Jack Dillon]

You got it. Thank you for having me. Great to be here. Great conference so far. Really great topics and speakers. My name is Jack Dillon. I'm the Chief Executive Officer for Anesthesia Practice Consultants. We're a large independent anesthesia group based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. I also serve as the Executive Director for the association for Independent Medicine. We're a large network nationally of independent practices, mostly anesthesia, but crosses all subspecialties that focuses on independent practice, private practice, and how do we thrive in this ever changing healthcare environment.

[Grace Lynn Keller]

Wonderful. Well, glad to have you here. And let's start with what trends or shifts you're seeing right now in the industry that you think is most important for leaders to pay attention to.

[Jack Dillon]

Sure. I think, you know, staffing is probably the biggest shift that we're all dealing with over the last couple of years. You know, I'll speak mostly from an anesthesia perspective since since that's my wheelhouse. And you know, I think being here at the Becker's conference, you, you've heard two big topics that have come to mind in every session I've been in. It's either been AI or what's everybody doing about anesthesia. And so I think, you know, from a shift standpoint, I don't think we' hardest times when it comes to anesthesia staffing. I think we're still in a spot where it's mainly okay, but the burnout is rapidly increasing. It might not feel like it for some people, but it's, it's, it's certainly we're seeing it across practices and I think getting more creative in how we're going to manage procedural time and surgical time is going to be becoming a necessity going forward.

[Grace Lynn Keller]

Absolutely. And you actually segued great into my next question, which is about staffing and workforce challenges, as that continues to be a concern across healthcare sectors. So how is your organization navigating the pressures and do you have any specific strategies that have worked well here?

[Jack Dillon]

Yeah, sure. No, that's, that's a great question. You know, I think the, the big thing that I point out with anesthesia staffing is that it's not like it was 10 or 20 years ago. The work has gotten harder, the patient's gotten sicker. We hear that constantly. But previous concepts of, of block time and surgical time that existed 10 or 20 years ago are, are far gone. You know, elective cases are going after 5 o', clock, 7 o', clock, and it's just getting later days as, as hospitals and systems, you know, go after more volume, hire more surgeons, switch to RVU based models. These have all really impacted anesthesia and staffing and, and the workload and the burden that, that that has taken place. So I think when we look at, you know, the workforce challenges, we have to really be mindful about where we're putting our people and giving our people appropriate reprieve. We're watching all staff, you know, across all healthcare, want to work better hours, have better balance and autonomy and a better say, and meanwhile maintaining their compensation. And healthcare wasn't built for that. Right. Especially not under Medicaid, Medicare.

[Grace Lynn Keller]

Absolutely. And shifting gears a little bit as outpatient care continues to grow. How do you see the role of orthopedics and anesthesia evolving within the broader healthcare ecosystem?

[Jack Dillon]

Yeah, I mean, we're watching surgical centers and especially orthopedic centers pop up like Starbucks. Right. I mean, they're, Everybody wants a bite at this apple and I completely get it. I, I understand it too. And just what I said before about staffing, right. Those are very desirable places for people to work. Right. More predictable hours, healthier patients, better payer mix. Those things make life a heck of a lot easier. Right. When, when you're a nurse or an anesthesiologist or a surgeon, we can't blame people for wanting to go after that work. And so I think the shift and the growth in that has been very attractive for, for people working in healthcare.

[Grace Lynn Keller]

Absolutely. And then final question, as we're kind of wrapping our conversation up, many organizations are exploring new technologies, partnerships and care models to improve efficiency and outcomes. So are there any innovations or initiatives you found particularly promising?

[Jack Dillon]

I think you know, everybody's watching AI modeling, and I think that's one one way to look at it. I think technologies that are spanning specialties, you know, are really fascinating to me. You know, typically you'd watch a lot of vendors come, they'd be anesthesia specific or surgery specific or pain management specific. We're watching that crossover a lot more, which leads to workflows and better consistency. So watching that growth has been good. And so it's, you know, kind of taking a large behemoth emr, but is still tailoring it to the outpatient setting, but it still crosses specialties. I think is is really exciting to watch.

[Grace Lynn Keller]

Absolutely. Well, Jack, thanks so much for being here. Is there anything else you'd like to share that we didn't touch on today?

[Jack Dillon]

Not really. I think, you know, the next three to five years are going to be a big shift for everybody working in healthcare. I think we're going to watch a lot of national change take place, and I think we, we're in this better together.

[Grace Lynn Keller]

Well, again, thanks so much for being here on the Beckers Healthcare Podcast. We are live at the 22nd annual Spine Orthopedic and Pain Management Conference.

[Jack Dillon]

Thank you.