A study in JAMA Network Open found that providing rideshare services for patients with abnormal FIT results could significantly improve colonoscopy completion, reduce colorectal cancer (CRC) cases and deaths, and save costs. Modeling showed that a $100 ride starting at age 45 that doubled completion from 35% to 70% would cut CRC cases by 26.3% and deaths by 32.9%, while saving $330,587 per 1,000 patients.
Author: Abhay Panchal
A case-control study in Medicine (Baltimore) explored whether auricular acupoint changes—a diagnostic method from traditional Chinese medicine—could serve as a noninvasive screening tool for colorectal polyps (CPs). Among 300 participants, patients with CPs showed significant abnormalities in auricular points linked to the large intestine, rectum, and small intestine, including discoloration, tenderness, and altered electrical conductivity. The large intestine acupoint demonstrated the highest predictive value. While colonoscopy remains the gold standard, these findings suggest auricular assessment may provide a simple, low-cost method for identifying individuals at risk of precancerous CPs.
A new analysis in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (Brenner et al., Sept 2025) examines geodemographic trends in private equity (PE) acquisitions of U.S. gastroenterology practices from 2013–2023. The study confirms that GI has become a prime target for PE investment, driven by its high-volume procedures, strong ancillary revenue streams, and outpatient consolidation opportunities. What was once an abstract trend is now local and visible, directly shaping daily GI practice across the country. The findings underscore how PE is reshaping practice ownership and care delivery in gastroenterology.
Spencer Dorn, MD, Vice Chair & Professor of Medicine at UNC, outlines how AI is transforming healthcare’s “front door” by shifting power over medical knowledge from physicians to patients. He notes that chat-based tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are replacing traditional search engines, offering tailored, conversational guidance that helps patients interpret information, prepare for visits, and even form narratives for their clinicians. Yet, these tools carry risks of inaccuracy, overconfidence, and lack of safeguards.
In a Q&A interview, Elizabeth Wurtzler, PhD, Director of R&D at Geneoscopy, explains how the company’s RNA-based stool test, ColoSense®, improves colorectal cancer screening by detecting active cancer-related signals less affected by age. She highlights recent modeling data showing ColoSense reduces CRC deaths more effectively than FIT, mt-sDNA, and blood-based tests at real-world adherence levels, while also proving cost-effective. Wurtzler also discusses a new scrape-free collection kit to boost screening compliance and outlines future RNA biomarker applications in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
The third quarter of 2025 delivered key regulatory approvals, fresh clinical trial data, and important updates in GI care:
Shantanu Gaur, MD, founded Allurion in 2009 while he was a student at Boston-based Harvard Medical School. Now, as CEO of the Natick, Mass.-based company, he’s leading efforts to redefine obesity care through nonsurgical innovation, digital health and global accessibility. Allurion has developed a procedure-less gastric balloon — the Allurion Smart Capsule — and a connected digital care platform to help patients achieve long-term, healthy weight loss. The company’s program has treated more than 200,000 patients across 80 countries. Becker’s connected with Dr. Gaur to learn more about his leadership and perspective on the future of obesity treatment.
Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC) has introduced a comprehensive gastroenterology program featuring advanced treatments, including gastric electrical stimulator therapy for patients with severe gastroparesis. Led by Dr. Lee F. Peng, chief of gastroenterology and hepatology, the program brings together specialists in minimally invasive procedures, endoscopic resection, and third-space endoscopy to address complex GI, liver, pancreatic, and colorectal conditions. In collaboration, gastroenterologist Dr. Douglas Weinstein, director of GI Motility, and surgeon Dr. Seth Kipnis, director of Bariatric and Robotic Surgery, successfully treated one of New Jersey’s first patients with Enterra’s gastric electrical stimulator. The therapy, which sends mild…
A brief report in The American Journal of Gastroenterology (Busam & Shah, October 2025) found that between 2018–2022, Medicare reimbursement for GI procedures fell by 18%. This drop correlated with an 11% decline in procedure frequency and a 7% reduction in the number of gastroenterologists performing each procedure. The study concludes that lower reimbursement is linked with reduced service volumes and physician participation, raising concerns about future access to GI care.
Responding to concerns about private equity raised in GI & Hepatology News, George Dickstein, MD, AGAF, senior vice president of clinical affairs for Gastro Health in Massachusetts, offers a different view. He points to studies showing that PE-affiliated practices can reduce Medicare spending and more often use lower-cost care sites compared with hospital-affiliated groups. According to Dr. Dickstein, his own practice’s PE partnership has enabled investment in advanced technologies that improved polyp detection, lowered colon cancer risk, and enhanced chronic disease management — all while maintaining practice independence.