Becker’s Healthcare outlines 15 trends that reveal a specialty under pressure and in transition. Gastroenterologists now generate nearly $3M in hospital revenue each year, yet open positions take over 180 days to fill and almost 1,400 GI specialists are projected to be missing from the workforce by 2037.
Meanwhile, demand is surging — earlier-onset colon cancer, rising colonoscopy volumes, and expanding ASCs are reshaping how and where GI care is delivered. At the same time, private equity is accelerating its footprint with 28% growth since 2021, often controlling large portions of local markets and driving higher prices without measurable gains in quality.
Add in worsening burnout, uneven compensation, widening ASC–HOPD payment gaps, and major shifts in procedure mix — and the specialty is bracing for a decade of disruption.
These 15 datapoints reveal a GI landscape that’s growing fast, consolidating rapidly, and facing pivotal choices about autonomy, access, and the future of care delivery.