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Previous studies have documented progressive increases in the use of anesthesia services for endoscopic procedures in the U.S. To investigate this issue further, researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of claims data for 1.1 million Medicare fee-for-service patients and 5.5 million commercially insured individuals who underwent outpatient upper gastrointestinal endoscopy or colonoscopy between 2003 and 2009. The American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification (or — when such coding was absent — a predictive statistical model) was used to estimate the need for anesthesia services.
The proportion of cases involving anesthesia services increased from 14% in 2003 to more than 30% in 2009 in both the Medicare and comme…