Two weeks ago, I saw my 39-year-old patient with long-standing ulcerative colitis in clinic for new onset bleeding per rectum. She mentioned needing to attend an upcoming conference, and was eager to get to the source of the problem and start treatment right away. Given her new symptoms, we decided on an urgent colonoscopy the following week, so we could diagnose the underlying cause and begin treatment. Prior to this episode, her ulcerative colitis had been in remission, and given her increased risk of colon cancer from long-standing disease, she has been undergoing surveillance colonoscopy to look for dysplasia or…
Author: Abhay Panchal
In this podcast episode, Douglas Rex, MD, discusses the importance of intent-to-treat for colorectal screenings, how screening technology has transformed gastroenterology practice and more. Read More
For physicians overall, intriguing trends showed up this year — an improvement in gender-based pay disparity in primary care; a growing disillusionment with Medicare payments, as a somewhat larger share of physicians declined to take new patients on Medicare; and a general increase in pay. More than 10,000 physicians in over 29 specialties, including gastroenterology, told us how much they earn, how hard they work, and how they feel about their income. Read More
ChatGPT-3 and ChatGPT-4, OpenAI’s language processing models, flunked the 2021 and 2022 American College of Gastroenterology Self-Assessment Tests, according to a study published earlier this week in The American Journal of Gastroenterology. ChatGPT is a large language model that generates human-like text in response to users’ questions or statements. Researchers at The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research asked the two versions of ChatGPT to answer questions on the tests to evaluate its abilities and accuracy. Each test includes 300 multiple-choice questions. Researchers copied and pasted each multiple-choice question and answer, excluding those with image requirements, into the AI-powered platform. Read More
CHICAGO — A cell-free DNA blood-based test displayed 83% sensitivity for colorectal cancer detection and 90% specificity in an average-risk population, similar to the performance of current noninvasive screening options. “Colorectal cancer screening is recommended for everyone in the United States,” Daniel C. Chung, MD, director of the High-Risk GI Cancer Clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor at Harvard Medical School, told attendees at Digestive Disease Week. “But, despite the widespread availability of many screening options, there remain persistent and significant barriers, and unfortunately, screening rates remain suboptimal. In fact, only 59% of eligible individuals aged 45 and over…
DDW 2023: Insights on Becoming a Leader (GI & Endoscopy News)Michelle Kang Kim, MD, PhD, the chair of the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, talks about breaking the glass ceiling, sharing insights into the process of becoming a leader. Aasma Shaukat, MD, MPH: How AI Can Help With Cancer Screenings (HCP Live)In a presentation during the 2023 DDW, Aasma Shaukat, MD, MPH, Director of Research Outcomes, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, NYU Langone, discussed how doctors can better use new technologies like AI for cancer screenings. Linda S. Lee, MD, Talks About Using AI…
CHICAGO — Digital gut-directed hypnotherapy resulted in greater improvement in abdominal pain and stool symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome compared with digital muscle relaxation, according to research. “This study demonstrates that an FDA-approved, digital therapeutic that delivers gut-directed hypnotherapy improved abdominal pain and bowel habits in around a third [of patients] and provided adequate relief of GI symptoms in nearly two-thirds of IBS patients,” William D. Chey, MD, AGAF, FACG, FACP, RFF, H. Marvin Pollard Professor of Gastroenterology and chief of the division of gastroenterology at Michigan Medicine, told Healio. “GDH delivered by the mobile app led to…
Whether you believe this this figurative adage or not, it is a hard truth. Money is ubiquitous; it pervades everyday life. And money is the cornerstone of business. So I’m shocked to hear “pretty much nothing” when I ask residents what they’re taught about business and money these days. Not to insult anyone’s intelligence, but I’ll venture an assumption. If you are a medical student, resident, or newbie doctor, I’ll assume you know as much about business as I knew back then, and that is … pretty much nothing. And yet the practice of medicine is a business. Your profession…
AURORA, Colorado ― Artificial Intelligence (AI) has arrived at medical offices, whether or not clinicians feel ready for it. AI might result in more accurate, efficient, and cost-effective care. But it’s possible it could cause harm. That’s according to Benjamin Collins, MD, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in Nashville, Tennessee, who spoke on the subject the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) 2023 Annual Meeting. Understanding the nuances of AI is even more important because of the quick development of the algorithms. Read More
For many Americans, a medical emergency can lead to a financial crisis due to the high cost of health care in the U.S. This week, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is renewing his push for a new approach — Medicare for All — that he touted as a presidential candidate. “The current health-care system in the United States is totally broken,” Sanders said Tuesday at a Capitol Hill event. “It is totally dysfunctional, and it is extremely cruel,” he said. With the support of Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Debbie Dingell of Michigan, the lawmakers plan to reintroduce a…