The emergency/trauma regional anesthesia service - A novel concept for provision of regional anesthesia to emergency department and inpatients with acute pain.

The treatment of acute pain with opioid sparing techniques has become a particular interest given the recent epidemic of opioid misuse. While acute pain and regional anesthesia are typically managed by the department of anesthesiology in large academic institutions, smaller community hospitals may have limited options for the treatment of acute pain outside of the perioperative setting. Emergency physicians are uniquely positioned to fill this gap given that US guided nerve blocks are now considered a core skill. In this article we outline a successful implementation of a business proposal for provision of regional anesthesia by emergency physicians as consultants to emergency department and hospitalized patients.