United Digestive (UD), a prominent provider of gastroenterology (GI) services in the U.S., has partnered with Provation, a top software and SaaS provider for clinical productivity and workflow automation, to standardize documentation across UD facilities using the Provation Apex platform. Mark Gilreath, CEO of UD, highlighted the platform’s ability to unify procedure documentation across their organization, aligning with their cloud-first strategy. Provation Apex offers a comprehensive solution for recording patient and GI procedure details, images, and coding. Ankush Kaul, President of Provation, expressed excitement about the partnership, emphasizing UD’s commitment to advanced diagnostic and treatment services.
Author: Abhay Panchal
Artificial intelligence (AI) driven computer-assisted colonoscopy can enhance the detection of small polyps, but it doesn’t significantly improve the detection of colorectal neoplasias or advanced adenomas, according to two new reports. A randomized controlled trial in Spain found that AI use didn’t lead to better detection of advanced neoplasias in patients with a positive fecal immunochemical test (FIT). This was surprising given prior studies that showed AI’s benefits in detecting small polyps. Another systematic review and meta-analysis found that while AI increased the detection of adenomas, it didn’t detect advanced adenomas and led to higher rates of unnecessary removal of…
Fatty liver disease is getting a name change. After years of discussion and review, an international working group including members of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and other hepatology societies has come to a consensus, announcing recently that they will refer to fatty liver disease as steatotic liver disease. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease will now be called metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis will now be called metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis. The group also has created a new subcategory, MetALD (pronounced met A-L-D), which is MASLD in the setting of moderate alcohol consumption…
ProPublica’s investigation reveals that Cigna, one of the largest insurers in the U.S., has implemented a system allowing its doctors to instantly reject insurance claims on medical grounds without reviewing the patient’s file. This has resulted in unexpected bills for many patients. Over two months in the previous year, Cigna doctors denied over 300,000 payment requests using this method, averaging 1.2 seconds per case. The company’s system, known as PXDX, uses an algorithm to flag mismatches between diagnoses and what the company deems acceptable tests and procedures. Medical directors then sign off on these denials in batches, without seeing any…
A recent cross-sectional study involving over 200 adults has found a correlation between the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and an increased prevalence of hypertension. The study aimed to provide insights into the association between hypertension and the severity of biopsy-proven NAFLD in adults with obesity, especially since previous research on this topic was limited and mainly focused on Asian and European populations. Key findings from the study include:
Genpact, a global professional services firm, has announced a new multi-year agreement with GE HealthCare to transform and manage its US leasing and lending operations. The collaboration will utilize Genpact’s digital technology solutions, particularly its business-process-as-a-service (BPaaS) operating model. This model is integrated with Genpact’s AI-powered platform, Genpact Cora, providing a scalable and agile solution tailored to GE HealthCare’s requirements. The platform features an open architecture, integrating generative AI and other emerging digital technologies. By adopting this platform, GE HealthCare will gain access to essential business benchmarks, insights, key performance indicators, and the flexibility to adapt to changing market and…
Cigna Healthcare, a subsidiary of The Cigna Group, has announced the removal of nearly 25% of medical services from its prior authorization (or precertification) requirements. This move, which involves the elimination of over 600 additional codes, means that since 2020, Cigna has removed prior authorization for more than 1,100 medical services. The aim is to simplify the healthcare experience for both patients and healthcare providers. David Brailer, MD, executive vice president and Chief Health Officer of The Cigna Group, stated that the company’s objective is to ensure patient safety, enhance health outcomes, and make care more affordable. By reducing administrative…
Suki, a leading voice AI technology provider for healthcare, has announced an enhancement for Cerner, building on its previous introduction of bi-directional ambient sync for Epic. This latest version of Suki Assistant enables Cerner users to quickly create clinical documentation with increased efficiency. The tool uses ambient note-taking, dictation, and intuitive commands to produce documentation that integrates seamlessly into the system of record, updating relevant sections automatically. With the bi-directional sync feature, users can effortlessly transition between Cerner and Suki to initiate and finalize their documentation. This provides flexibility in their workflow. Additionally, users can now reference essential patient chart…
The global digital health market, which was previously a favorite among venture capital investors, has seen a decline in funding. According to a report by CB Insights, the second quarter of 2023 witnessed the lowest funding level since Q3 2017, amounting to $3.4 billion. The total digital health funding for the first half of the year was $6.9 billion, which is only half of the previous year’s total. The number of deals was also at its lowest since Q2 2015. The U.S. contributed to nearly two-thirds of the digital health funding in Q2, but this was an 80% decrease compared…
Generative AI is making significant strides in the healthcare sector. Rich Birhanzel, Accenture’s global health industry lead, discusses the transformative potential of generative AI in healthcare. Here are the key points: Harmonizing Humans and Machines: The healthcare industry has seen a surge in technological advancements that have doubled life expectancy over the past century. The challenge now is to harmonize the way humans and machines collaborate. The primary concern in global healthcare is patient access due to a shortage of physicians and nurses. Generative AI can help address this by reducing administrative burdens, allowing healthcare professionals to focus more on…