Initial results from the National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry and overview of office-based anesthesia.

Safe office-based anesthesia practices dictate proper patient and procedure selection, appropriate provider qualifications, adequately equipped facilities, and effective administrative infrastructure. Analysis of patient outcomes can help reduce mortality and morbidity by identifying high-risk patients and procedures. We analyzed data from the Anesthesia Quality Institute National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry. Analysis included patient demographics and outcomes, procedure and anesthesia type and duration, and case coverage by provider. Increased regulation and standardization of care, such as the use of checklists and professional guidelines, can advance safe practices. There is increasing emphasis on continuous quality improvement, electronic health records, and outcomes data reporting.