Open-heart surgeries at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center have plummeted from 314 a decade ago to just 88 last year, and the hospital is on track for fewer than 100 again this year, as an exodus of anesthesiologists has delayed operations and shrunk surgical capacity at one of the largest hospitals in the VA system. The facility could not schedule heart surgeries on 11 dates in August alone, and administrators have had to cancel other procedures entirely because no anesthesiologist was available.
The staffing collapse has been building for more than a year. As reported by the Minnesota Star Tribune, the hospital’s anesthesiologist ranks fell from 11 down to essentially one physician with part-time help, and Dr. Vasudha Goel, who called the Minneapolis VA one of her favorite places to work, stopped providing anesthesia services there in 2025. Overall hospital staffing dropped 13% in a single year, sliding from 5,048 employees in 2024 to 4,380 in 2025, per the same account.
A Bylaws Vote Splits the Medical Community
In August 2025, medical staff voted to amend facility bylaws so Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists could practice independently in lower-risk surgeries without physician supervision, a change the hospital says helps it meet patient demand. The move drew formal opposition from the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Minnesota Society of Anesthesiologists, and roughly 200 anesthesiologists and other providers signed a letter opposing the switch, according to the Star Tribune’s reporting.
The National Association of Veteran Affairs Physicians and Dentists went further, stating that the bylaws change violated VHA Directive 1220, which requires 24-hour physician anesthesiologist coverage at surgical facilities. The group alleged that anesthesiologist departures stemmed from management problems rather than a systemic labor shortage. The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology countered by backing the Minneapolis VA’s decision, pointing to national VA data showing a 38% increase in facilities facing severe physician anesthesiologist shortages, as noted in a statement from the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology…