U.S. Anesthesia Partners Board Member Concludes Term as American Society of Anesthesiologists President

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 11, 2013/PRNewswire/ -- A board member of U.S. Anesthesia Partners (USAP), a single-specialty physician services organization which offers practice management services to anesthesiologists, will conclude his term as president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) this weekend.

Rep. John Zerwas, MD, a member of the USAP board and founding president of USAP partner Greater Houston Anesthesiology (GHA), will finish his one-year term as president of the ASA at the organization's annual conference on Oct. 12-16, in San Francisco, Calif.

During his time as ASA president, Dr. Zerwas oversaw the growth of the Anesthesia Quality Institute, a nationwide registry of case data for use by anesthesiologists seeking to assess and improve their patient care.

"The AQI is the only national anesthesia care registry," Dr. Zerwas says. "It will allow us to evaluate clinical performance quality and drive improvement in a way that is unmatched by other specialties."

Other ASA efforts furthered under Dr. Zerwas' leadership include advocacy of a perioperative model that integrates the anesthesiologist at a greater level in to patient care to improve clinical outcomes, and a communications campaign to educate the public about the role of anesthesiologists in patient safety.

Dr. Zerwas, who also serves in the Texas House of Representatives, will transfer his ASA presidency to Jane C.K. Fitch, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Oklahoma.

About U.S. Anesthesia Partners

U.S. Anesthesia Partners is a single-specialty physician services organization that offers practice management services to anesthesiologists. USAP identifies and collaborates with leading, quality groups of anesthesiologists who seek a strategic partner with the capital resources and expertise to invest in their practice support infrastructure, and position them for continued success and growth within their markets.

USAP was formed as a partnership between Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe and Greater Houston Anesthesiology. Key elements of USAP's business model are its single-specialty focus and ability to offer anesthesiologists equity ownership in USAP. For more information visit www.USAP.com.

SOURCE U.S. Anesthesia Partners