Century Health has partnered with Arizona Gastrointestinal Associates (AGA) to use AI to convert unstructured clinical data—including endoscopy reports, pathology findings, physician notes, and lab results—into research-grade datasets for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). The collaboration leverages Century Health’s AI platform, CHARM, to automate data extraction and analysis, reducing the need for time-consuming manual chart reviews while enabling large-scale real-world evidence generation. The partnership will analyze data from more than 21,000 IBD and MASH patients treated across AGA’s independent gastroenterology network. By capturing treatment patterns, disease progression, and outcomes from routine clinical practice, the initiative aims…
Author: Abhay Panchal
Colorectal cancer remains the third most common cancer worldwide, with over 1.9 million diagnosed cases and more than 930,000 deaths in 2020 alone. A critical challenge lies in detecting precancerous colorectal polyps, which vary greatly in size, shape, and appearance. During colonoscopy, even experienced physicians have a miss rate as high as 27% for small polyps. To address this, a research team led by LI Hailong and LIU Guohua from Donghua University, together with ZHAO Meng from Yanshan University, proposed an improved YOLO-based model named EF-YOLO. The model incorporates several key innovations:
As of early 2026, hospitals or corporate entities employ 82% of physicians — a 5.6 percentage point increase in just two years, according to Avelere and the Physicians Advocacy Institute. The consolidation has been decades in the making, but the pace is accelerating. Since 2024 alone, hospitals have acquired roughly 5,800 physician practices and corporate entities — primarily private equity firms and insurers — have acquired more than 8,000. Here is a breakdown of which groups are buying up physician practices, including at what scale, price, and what the results and costs are for physicians in acquired practices. 1. Private…
As collaboration between gastroenterologists and the pharmaceutical and medical device industries continues to grow, advisory boards, consulting, educational programs, and research partnerships have become increasingly common. These engagements enable clinicians to share real-world insights that help shape the development, evaluation, and adoption of new therapies and technologies, while also providing access to emerging science, professional networks, and opportunities to influence patient care. The review emphasizes that industry collaboration can be valuable when conducted transparently and ethically. It provides practical guidance on evaluating advisory opportunities, understanding compensation and regulatory requirements, and managing potential conflicts of interest. Ultimately, the goal is to…
Initiating a new program or service line involves an array of challenges, whether in an academic institution, a private setting, or a federally run hospital. At the Scrubs & Heels Leadership Summit 2026, three gastroenterologists who have successfully navigated these obstacles led a discussion with advice for anyone hoping to bring a new program to their institution. Rashmi Advani, MD, an interventional and bariatric endoscopist at Cedars-Sinai, in Los Angeles; Tauseef Ali, MD, the medical executive director of SSM Health Digestive Care, in Oklahoma City; and Daniela Guerrero Vinsard, MD, an advanced endoscopist at the Veterans Affairs medical center in…
Researchers at the University of Twente have developed SeroTab, an electronics-free, swallowable soft robotic capsule that could offer a less invasive alternative to traditional upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for certain diagnostic applications. Guided externally by a handheld magnet, the capsule glides through the stomach, measures gastric acidity in real time using ultrasound-visible hydrogel technology, and can collect stomach fluid samples on demand for laboratory analysis—all without requiring a camera, battery, or wired endoscope.
A Medscape commentary highlights a growing trend in which some patients are more hesitant about evidence-based procedures like colonoscopy while showing greater interest in unregulated peptide therapies, describing this as an “inversion of risk.” Using the example of a 50-year-old postmenopausal patient with iron deficiency anemia who was reluctant to undergo a colonoscopy but interested in peptide treatments, the article illustrates how patients may perceive established medical procedures as riskier than experimental compounds that lack robust clinical evidence. The commentary contrasts the well-established safety, regulation, and clinical evidence supporting colonoscopy with the uncertainty surrounding many peptide therapies marketed for anti-aging,…
The microbiome is increasingly becoming the newest frontier in life sciences with scientists mining for potential discoveries. Microbiome therapy includes probiotics, Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT), prebiotics, or engineered microbes to cure diseases, such as C. difficile infection, inflammatory bowel disease and metabolic disorders. The increase in research initiatives and rising number of gut infections along with enhanced microbiome sequencing capabilities is resulting in the positive growth of the microbiome therapeutics industry. The main aim of microbiome therapeutic products is to restore and maintain the normal balance and healthy function of organisms or microbiota in the gut. Researchers, investors and business…
ŌURA and LillyDirect, Eli Lilly’s digital health platform, have announced a collaboration to support people using GLP-1 weight-loss and diabetes therapies by combining access to wearable technology with behavioral health tools. Under the partnership, LillyDirect customers will receive a complimentary Oura Ring sizing kit, making it easier to purchase the wearable. The companies emphasized that the collaboration does not involve sharing patient data, but instead aims to create a broader ecosystem of care that complements prescribed GLP-1 medications. The partnership builds on Oura’s recently launched GLP-1 Insights feature, which integrates continuous biometric tracking with therapy-specific insights. Using data from the…
Labcorp has announced the nationwide availability of ColoSense, the first FDA-approved RNA-based at-home colorectal cancer (CRC) screening test, through its partnership with Geneoscopy. The launch expands Labcorp’s colorectal cancer screening portfolio and follows CMS’s decision to provide Medicare coverage for eligible beneficiaries. The test is also supported by additional commercial coverage and aligns with recommendations from the American Cancer Society (ACS) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). ColoSense is designed to improve screening participation by addressing one of the biggest barriers to stool-based testing: sample collection. Unlike traditional stool tests that require handling or mixing the sample, ColoSense uses a…