The third quarter of 2025 delivered key regulatory approvals, fresh clinical trial data, and important updates in GI care:
Author: Abhay Panchal
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.
Computer-aided detection systems (CADe) are transforming adenoma detection and enhancing colonoscopy quality. Dr. Peter Buch sits down with Dr. Charles Kahi to unpack the latest American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) guideline, evidence from randomized controlled trials, and the practical implications of integrating AI tools into clinical practice. Dr. Kahi is a Professor of Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine, and he helped develop the AGA Living Clinical Practice Guideline on Computer-Aided Detection-Assisted Colonoscopy, which was published in Gastroenterology in 2025.
With gastroenterologists in short supply, nurse practitioners and physician assistants are increasingly covering clinics and providing front-line GI care. Yet most receive little formal specialty training, forcing many to learn on the job while juggling mounting administrative tasks. Experts warn this lack of structure, combined with rising prior-authorization and EMR burdens, is fueling burnout—particularly among mid-career APPs.
Oath Surgical has raised $24 million in Series A funding to expand its nationwide network of surgeon-owned, tech-driven ambulatory surgery centers and further develop OathOS, an AI platform designed to automate operating room workflows. The Portland-based company, founded by Dr. Oliver Keown, reports up to 80% cost savings over hospital-based procedures, near-perfect patient satisfaction, and rapid recovery times. With Medicare poised to shift millions of procedures outpatient by 2026, Oath is betting on a new model for complex surgery: high-tech, value-based, and surgeon-led.
New research presented at DDW 2025 suggests that biomarker-guided therapy could help predict which IBD patients will respond best to drugs like infliximab. In a German phase 3 trial, patients whose doctors used personalized biomarker reports achieved higher remission rates (55% vs 27%) and fewer failed therapies over one year. Experts say this integrated biomarker approach moves care closer to true precision medicine, though more studies are needed before it becomes standard practice.
Conexiant will take over publishing GI & Hepatology News, the flagship clinical and policy publication of the American Gastroenterological Association, starting Jan. 1, 2026. The partnership aims to expand the reach, quality, and impact of the news source for gastroenterologists and hepatologists worldwide. AGA leaders see this collaboration as a key step in scaling educational impact and strengthening connections across the field.