Dr. Tyler Stout is asking legislators to consider preventing insurance companies from setting time limits on anesthesiologists when providing services to patients.

A Jackson anesthesiologist is urging lawmakers to be proactive in addressing a recent medical trend that could harm surgical patients, not just in Mississippi, but nationwide.

During a recent hearing of the state Senate Insurance Study Committee, Dr. Tyler Stout said Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield advanced a policy proposal last year that set a time limit on anesthesiologists, known as counting down the clock. The insurer was to use Physician Work Time values to “target the number of minutes reported for anesthesia services.”

The outcry from providers and policyholders was loud, and the insurer backed away from the policy prop

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