Second-quarter 2023 highlights
Author: Abhay Panchal
The FDA approved trifluridine and tipiracil with bevacizumab for patients with previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer. The approval applies to use of the combination by patients who received prior fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin- and irinotecan-based chemotherapy, an anti-VEGF biological therapy and — if RAS wild-type — an anti-EGFR therapy.
Burden of NAFLD in the U.S.Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a rapidly increasing public health burden in the U.S. and elsewhere. NAFLD is a manifestation of systemic metabolic abnormalities, including insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, central obesity, and hypertension. In this short review, we summarize data on the burden of NAFLD in the U.S. and its prognostic determinants and review what clinical and public health approaches may be needed to mitigating its impact.
Women constitute about half of medical students and internal medicine residents, however, less than 20% of practicing gastroenterologists are female.1-3 This gender disparity arises from a multitude of factors including lack of effective mentoring, unequal leadership and career advancement opportunities, and pay inequity. In this context, The Scrubs & Heels Leadership Summit (S&H) was launched in 2022 focused on the professional and personal development of women in gastroenterology.
This article focuses on how medical practices are valued by private equity-backed groups, and to an extent, health systems and other strategic acquirers. Only some specialties are candidates for this type of transaction, while others may rely on more traditional physician-to-physician deals (often buying and selling for asset value plus “goodwill”).
Fast-Track Scope Forward Summary: Navigating the Future of Gastroenterology with Dr. Daniel Neumann We recently hosted a powerhouse guest on The Scope Forward Show – Dr. Daniel Neumann, gastroenterologist and trailblazer in healthcare. As the Chief Strategy Officer for Capital Digestive Care and CEO of Trillium Health, Dr. Neumann is at the cutting edge of gastroenterology’s future. His insights provide a crucial roadmap for healthcare professionals in this rapidly evolving field. Adapting to New Frontiers in Healthcare Delivery How prepared are we to shift towards alternative care models? Dr. Neumann presses on the urgency for gastroenterologists to embrace new paradigms…
Key takeaways: Video capsule endoscopy and double-balloon enteroscopy were safe and effective in the management of patients with indications other than suspected small bowel bleeding, including celiac disease and Crohn’s disease, researchers reported.
Through a series of ill-informed policy moves, UnitedHealthcare (UHC) is laying the groundwork for a sweeping prior authorization program that will delay patients’ time-sensitive GI procedures. Our leaders are speaking up on behalf of gastroenterologists and their patients. Dr. Barbara Jung, AGA president, and Dr. Rajeev Jain, member of the AGA Prior Authorization Reform Task Force, have published opinion articles in their local papers calling on UHC to reverse course before implementing this dangerous prior authorization program.
CHICAGO—Since the introduction of single-use duodenoscopes in 2019, endoscopists have been working to find the optimal role for these devices. While that is still being determined, there is increasing recognition that these scopes are here to stay. “The key is to figure out where they’re best utilized,” said Raman Muthusamy, MD, MAS, a professor of clinical medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the medical director of endoscopy for UCLA Health, in Los Angeles.
The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is 10.9 per 100,000 person-years and prevalence is 721 per 100,000 population, according to a study published online July 20 in Gastroenterology. James D. Lewis, M.D., from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and colleagues estimated the incidence, prevalence, and racial-ethnic distribution of physician-diagnosed IBD in the United States using four administrative claims datasets. Validated combinations of medical diagnoses, diagnostic procedures, and prescription medications were used to identify incident and prevalent diagnoses.