Chesterfield, Mo.-based Mercy has opened the Kathryn Ann Meinders Digestive Health Institute on the campus of Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City, establishing what the system describes as the only comprehensive digestive health center within a 500-mile radius of Oklahoma City. According to a June 22 news release, the 52,000-square-foot, two-level facility includes seven procedure rooms, 21 prep and recovery rooms, an inflammatory bowel disease clinic, a hepatology clinic, a motility lab, and ambulatory GI care space.
Author: Abhay Panchal
Plain Language SummaryThis study prospectively collected data from patients undergoing colonoscopy with anesthesia at Beijing Tiantan Hospital (November 2024–June 2025) to build a machine learning model that predicts inadequate bowel preparation using only nonpharmacological parameters. Using three feature selection methods and 5 machine learning algorithms, a Firth regression-based model performed best, with AUC values of 0.718 (95% CI: 0.647–0.789) in training and 0.715 (95% CI: 0.611–0.818) in validation. The resulting clinical prediction tool showed good discrimination (AUC, 0.709; 95% CI: 0.605–0.813). Higher body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, lower gastrointestinal symptom score, diabetes, and smoking/alcohol score increased risk, whereas hematochezia decreased…
Experts at the 2026 Crohn’s & Colitis Congress argued that so-called “treatment-refractory” IBD is often not true drug failure, but rather the result of factors such as bowel fibrosis, structural damage, immunogenicity, poor drug delivery, delayed therapy changes, or psychosocial barriers. They emphasized that persistent symptoms should prompt clinicians to identify the underlying cause rather than simply cycling through additional therapies. The discussion highlighted growing evidence that fibrotic bowel damage can begin early in Crohn’s disease, with the pediatric RISK study identifying fibrosis-associated gene signatures at diagnosis in children who later developed stricturing disease. The findings reinforce the importance of…
The article warns that AI is rapidly becoming a gatekeeper in prior authorization, with algorithms increasingly making or influencing medication approval decisions that can affect patient access to care. While payers promote AI as an efficiency tool, critics argue that opaque automated denials could amplify existing biases, undermine physician judgment, and worsen clinician burnout. The author calls for stronger safeguards—including explainable decisions, human oversight, equity audits, clinician involvement, and patient transparency—to ensure AI improves access rather than becoming a barrier between patients and needed treatment.
A bipartisan Medicare reform effort is gaining momentum in Congress, with lawmakers advancing legislation aimed at fixing the budget-neutrality rules that have contributed to years of physician payment cuts. The proposed Provider Reimbursement Stability Act would raise the threshold that triggers payment reductions, update cost calculations more regularly, and limit annual swings in Medicare’s physician conversion factor. The push comes as physicians face uncertainty over the future of a temporary 2.5% Medicare pay increase for 2026, which expires at the end of the year. Physician groups argue that Medicare reimbursement has failed to keep pace with inflation and rising practice…
The U.S. Department of Justice announced a $30 million settlement with Advanced Pathology Solutions and its owners over allegations of kickbacks to gastroenterology practices and medically unnecessary pathology testing. The case centered on a “lean lab” model in which GI practices allegedly received benefits in exchange for exclusively referring pathology specimens to APS, as well as the routine ordering of special stains and confirmatory tests before pathologist review. The settlement highlights ongoing federal scrutiny of pathology referral arrangements and utilization practices. In addition to the financial penalty, APS entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement requiring enhanced compliance oversight, auditing,…
Researchers at MIT, SMART, and collaborators developed the first fluorescent nanosensor capable of rapidly detecting indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), a gut microbiome metabolite linked to inflammation, IBD, diabetes, and liver disease. Unlike traditional mass spectrometry, the sensor delivers results within minutes and successfully distinguished healthy individuals from IBD patients in testing on 125 human plasma samples. The technology could enable faster, more accessible gut health monitoring, point-of-care diagnostics, wearable sensors, and personalized nutrition or therapeutic tracking, potentially bringing real-time microbiome function assessment into clinical practice.
Key Takeaways Automated text reminders were associated with a 9.0-percentage-point higher FIT completion rate than nurse-led telephone outreach in a randomized quality improvement trial of automated text reminders for FIT completion. The comparison took place across eight federally qualified health centers in Brooklyn, New York. Adults with a new FIT order received automated one-way text reminders or a nurse-led reminder call after the order was placed.
Most patients who undergo a combined upper and lower GI endoscopy think of it as one procedure. In clinical terms, it is two: an esophagogastroduodenoscopy examining the upper tract, followed by a colonoscopy examining the lower. The appeal of doing both in a single session is obvious. One preparation, one sedation event, and less time away from work or family. For health systems managing a specialist shortage that is projected to reach nearly 1,400 gastroenterologists by 2037, consolidating procedures wherever possible is moving from a convenience to a strategic necessity. But combined GI endoscopy is rarely framed as a deliberate…
Channel Robotics has raised $2.5 million in Seed+ funding, bringing its total funding to $4.6 million, to advance a handheld AI-enabled endoscopic robotic platform designed to work through existing flexible endoscopes. Unlike large robotic systems that require significant capital investment, the company’s approach aims to deliver robotic-level dexterity in a handheld format that could be adopted across hospitals, ASCs, and community GI practices. The funding will support product development, manufacturing, and regulatory activities, with an FDA submission targeted for 2027, reflecting continued investment in next-generation robotic technologies for minimally invasive GI procedures.