Private equity wants fast exits. Hospitals want long-term value. Clinicians want careers—not gigs.
So why are we still pretending these things align?
For years, private equity has been treating anesthesia like a spreadsheet problem—where you can slash costs, standardize clinicians, and flip the model for a profit. But healthcare isn’t a widget business. It’s a human one. And in the OR, shortcuts have consequences.
Growth at All Costs Comes at a Cost
When growth is the only goal, something always gives. Clinicians burn out. Hospitals get stuck with churn-and-burn staffing models. And patient care suffers under the weight of fractured teams and misaligned priorities.
Let’s be honest:
- Investors want margin.
- Hospitals want operational reliability.
- Clinicians want to practice at the top of their license, with autonomy and purpose.
Trying to serve all three under the same old PE model? That’s a balancing act with no safety net.
So, What Does Sustainability Really Look Like?
At Symmetry, we don’t chase growth for growth’s sake. We believe sustainable anesthesia partnerships are built—not bought. And they require three things:
- Clinician Trust
Real alignment starts with clinicians in the driver’s seat. That means giving CRNAs and anesthesiologists a voice in who joins the team, how they’re compensated, and how care is delivered. - Operational Transparency
Hospitals shouldn’t have to guess what’s happening behind the scenes. We open the books, share data, and build performance goals together. No surprises. No spin. - Shared Goals
We don’t “staff shifts.” We build long-term partnerships where efficiency, quality, and job satisfaction go hand-in-hand—because everyone is pulling in the same direction.
The Financial and Human Cost of Misalignment
When anesthesia is treated like a line item, you see the fallout everywhere:
- Rising clinician turnover
- Last-minute OR cancellations
- Expensive locum overuse
- Plummeting morale
- Lost trust between hospitals and care teams
And once you lose trust, everything else gets harder—recruiting, retention, outcomes, and cost control. Hospitals can’t afford that. Neither can clinicians.
A Model That Works Because It’s Built Differently
Symmetry doesn’t answer to investors—we answer to the people in the room. Our compensation model rewards performance and quality. Our recruiting is clinician-led. Our growth is steady, not speculative.
Because that’s how you build something that lasts.
Hospitals don’t need another vendor. They need partners. Clinicians don’t need another job. They need careers. And patients don’t need more instability. They need us at our best.
Let’s stop pretending the PE model is built to deliver any of that.