Broward hospital network avoids more surgery delays with ruling on anesthesia provider

Broward Health, the large public health system in the northern part of the county, narrowly avoided shutting down more of its operating rooms Friday as a judge allowed it to break a contract with its anesthesia provider.

The health system’s anesthesia staff had been contemplating a walkout after their employer, contracted by Broward Health, failed to make payroll — again.

In an emergency hearing, Judge Michele Towbin Singer ruled that Anseco, the independent provider of anesthesia services at the four Broward Health hospitals in the county, can no longer enforce non-competes with its employees. In doing so, the doctors and nurses are now free to stay at Broward Health and work for another company. Some already have left, creating staffing shortages that forced some elective surgeries to be postponed this week.

“This is the best shot we have getting doctors and nurses back in the hospitals and care centers,” Singer said. “Hopefully people get their surgeries this weekend and we have anesthesiologists and nurses.”

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