Since 2016, gastroenterology practices have undergone a wave of consolidation as private equity-backed companies, including Gastro Health and United Digestive, have acquired hundreds of providers nationwide. While transactions peaked in 2021, they saw a steady decline in 2023, according to Healthcare Appraisers’ 2023 GI Industry Outlook report, published in September. The number of private equity-backed GI transactions per year since 2016: 2016: 4 2017: 14 2018: 10 2019: 15 2020: 13
Author: Abhay Panchal
The PillSense System, a novel blood-sensing swallowed capsule device, has shown high accuracy in detecting blood in patients with clinically suspected upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB). In a study, the capsule demonstrated a sensitivity of 92.9% and a specificity of 90.6% in detecting UGIB. The study, conducted by Karl Akiki, MD, and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, was published in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. It involved an open-label, single-arm, comparative clinical trial with 126 adult participants suspected of UGIB. The PillSense System, developed by EnteraSense Ltd., uses an optical sensor to detect blood in the upper GI tract…
United Digestive, a prominent provider of gastroenterology (GI) services and one of the largest GI physician practice management platforms in the U.S., has introduced a new personalized education program developed by Boston Scientific. This program, known as the GI Foundations Program, is part of United Digestive’s commitment to advancing gastroenterology by providing its providers and ancillary teams with unparalleled access to new endoscopic educational programs. The GI Foundations Program was first implemented across all 22 of United Digestive’s state-of-the-art Endoscopy Centers. It is part of the Boston Scientific EDUCARE online platform and offers self-paced online learning, hands-on practice, and access…
Underreporting of conflicts of interest still occurs in the field of gastroenterology when it comes to clinical practice guidelines, with as much as 19% of European and U.S. guidelines providing inaccurate COI statements or none at all, according to new research presented at the 2023 annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology. Researchers, led by Laith Numan, MD, MS, a gastroenterology fellow at Saint Louis University, reviewed the websites of nine GI societies in the United States and Europe for all published guidelines that used the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations) methodology from 2013 to Oct.…
A study used a structured approach, inputting typical gastroenterology questions into ChatGPT 4.0 and Google Bard. Independent reviewers evaluated the responses using a Likert scale and cross-referenced them with guidelines from authoritative gastroenterology bodies. Statistical analysis, including the Mann-Whitney U test, was conducted to assess the significance of differences in ratings. The results showed that ChatGPT 4.0 demonstrated higher reliability and accuracy in its responses than Google Bard, as indicated by higher mean ratings and statistically significant p-values in hypothesis testing. However, the study noted limitations in the data structure, such as the inability to conduct detailed correlation analysis. In…
Lynx.MD, a leading medical data intelligence platform, has announced a strategic partnership with Allied Digestive Health (ADH), a specialized care group under Assured Healthcare Partners (AHP). This collaboration is a significant step in expanding Lynx.MD’s gastroenterology data library, which is crucial for researchers and developers in the biopharma and MedTech sectors. The partnership allows Lynx.MD to access a vast array of specialized data from ADH, enhancing their gastroenterology real-world data resources, including imaging, video, and lab data. This data is pivotal for understanding the progression of various diseases and supports early detection and preventive care. It provides a rich data…
Dr. Neil Sharma has recently joined Peak Gastroenterology Associates in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Peak is known as the largest provider of gastroenterology and related services in the state. Dr. Sharma is a highly regarded board-certified, fellowship-trained interventional gastroenterologist and endoscopist. In his new role, he will lead Peak’s interventional program. Previously, Dr. Sharma was associated with Parkview Health in northeast Indiana, where he served for over a decade. His notable achievements include being the first President of the Parkview Cancer Institute, which he helped develop. Under his leadership, the institute was recognized in the top 100 by Becker’s Hospital Review…
Dr. Erica Barnell, Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer of Geneoscopy, discusses the vital role of non-invasive diagnostics in preventing disease. This insightful conversation is a must-watch for anyone interested in the future of gastroenterology, digital health, and precision oncology. Highlights: Dr. Erica Barnell, a pioneer in medical science, brings her expertise to the forefront in this engaging interview. Get a glimpse into innovation reshaping the landscape of gastroenterology. Don’t miss this one.
A recent study published in “Annals of Oncology” by a French research group has made significant strides in precision medicine for treating metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The study involved 110 mCRC patients treated with PD-L1 inhibitors, possibly combined with a CTLA-4 inhibitor. Researchers conducted DNA and RNA sequencing, adopting a discovery-and-validation approach to identify patients more responsive to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Traditionally, tumor mutational burden and microsatellite insufficiency were considered markers for response prediction. However, this study’s deep sequencing revealed that these markers were less significant. Instead, the researchers focused on genes associated with microsatellite instability (MSI) and a set…
Early detection of Barrett’s esophagus neoplasia is vital, managed through surveillance and BET (including EMR, ESD, RFA), but challenges like neoplasia identification and treatment resistance require tailored solutions.