CHG Healthcare buys KREWE to grow CRNA staffing
UTAH, UNITED STATES — CHG Healthcare acquired KREWE Anesthesia, a staffing firm built by practicing certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), to fill one of the most acute workforce gaps in healthcare.
The acquisition adds CRNA staffing and managed anesthesia services to CHG’s portfolio across locum tenens physician staffing, nursing, and allied health. No financial terms were disclosed.
CHG targets anesthesia’s hardest-to-fill workforce gap
CHG Healthcare had built its workforce business across nursing, and allied health, but CRNA demand had outpaced its existing capabilities.
KREWE Anesthesia, founded by practicing CRNAs, brings a provider-led, relationship-driven recruitment model with approximately 84% annual clinician retention, well above typical locum tenens benchmarks.
The acquisition adds a specialty that CHG said represents one of the fastest-growing segments in its industry. “CRNA staffing is one of the fastest-growing parts of our industry, and we’re excited to bring that expertise into the CHG family,” said Leslie Snavely, chief executive officer at CHG Healthcare.
KREWE continues under its founding leadership team
Co-founders Gavin Baker and Chase Chiasson remain at the helm of KREWE, preserving the operating culture and provider relationships that shaped the firm’s retention performance.
President Chiasson said the team’s commitment to providers and healthcare organizations, and the culture defining KREWE from day one, will continue to guide all operations after the acquisition.
KREWE will operate under its own brand while gaining access to CHG’s broader workforce resources.
“KREWE was founded with a simple mission: to redefine what a career in anesthesia can look like by giving CRNAs greater choice, flexibility, and control over their careers,” said Gavin Baker, chief executive officer at KREWE Anesthesia.
CRNA vacancies rank among the most difficult to fill in healthcare staffing, with shortages particularly acute in rural hospitals and surgical centers that cannot match urban facilities on compensation alone.
CHG’s acquisition reflects a wider trend in healthcare business process outsourcing (BPO), where staffing companies add specialty clinical practices through targeted acquisitions to extend their service coverage into advanced practice roles.
Anesthesia staffing is among the most credentialing-intensive placements in healthcare, with CRNA scope-of-practice rules varying significantly by state and clinical setting, adding complexity that generalist staffing firms are less equipped to manage.
KREWE’s approximately 84% annual clinician retention rate positions the combined entity to offer hospital clients a sourcing model with measurably lower turnover costs than the broader locum tenens market.
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