The nation’s most profitable insurer has yet to release clear information about its new program that went into effect on June 1, which lays the groundwork for UHC’s prior authorization policy for lifesaving colonoscopies and endoscopies. The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) remains concerned by UnitedHealthcare’s (UHC) advance notification program, which went into immediate effect June 1. The nation’s most profitable insurer has yet to provide clear requirements, instructions or training––sowing confusion and uncertainty among doctors and their staff. Most importantly, AGA remains alarmed that the insurance giant is using this program as a basis for its “Gold Card” prior authorization…
Author: Abhay Panchal
The largest physician group in the U.S. has nearly 14,000 doctors, according to a new analysis from Definitive Healthcare provided to MedPage Today. Physician groups come in many varieties, from large health system-affiliated groups to contract management groups to small practices owned by physicians. Definitive Healthcare says it tracks more than 125,000 such groups — but the top 20 are mostly dominated by those run by large health systems.
Private medical practices are a hot commodity right now as private equity firms narrow their focus on merger and acquisition (M&A) opportunities. With medical services continuing to shift from hospital environments to outpatient facilities, health care investors are looking for practices that can expand their current network and capabilities. In fact, 60% of health care investors surveyed by KPMG said they expect M&A activity to increase this year.
Abstract: Barrett esophagus (BE) is the only known precursor to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), a cancer that continues to have a poor 5-year survival rate of 20%. Current BE screening strategies aim to detect BE and EAC at early, curable stages, but the majority of patients with EAC are diagnosed outside of BE screening and surveillance programs. Guidelines around the world suggest screening for BE in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and additional demographic and clinical risk factors using high-definition white-light endoscopy (HDWLE). However, current strategies relying on HDWLE are problematic with high direct and indirect costs, procedural risks, and…
TOPLINE:The risk for allergic disorders, especially eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), is significantly higher in people with achalasia, suggesting the need for an EoE evaluation before embarking on invasive achalasia treatment, researchers say. METHODOLOGY:
Exercise training is crucial in managing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but its ability to significantly improve liver fat remains uncertain. For a study, researchers sought to investigate the association between exercise training and the attainment of validated thresholds for MRI-measured treatment response. Through March 2022, randomized controlled trials involving adults with NAFLD were identified. Exercise training was compared with no exercise training, and the primary outcome was achieving a ≥30% relative reduction in MRI-measured liver fat—a threshold indicative of histologic improvement in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis activity, resolution of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and liver fibrosis stage. Different exercise doses were also compared.
Disorders of gut–brain interaction (DGBI) are highly prevalent chronic gastrointestinal symptoms that are categorised into 33 disorders delineated by gastrointestinal anatomic region. 1 DGBI can occur in isolation, but frequently are present in combinations that affect multiple anatomic regions. The coexistence of multiple DBGI in an individual, termed overlap, has been linked to worse disease severity and quality of life. 2 However, the actual prevalence of DGBI overlap and associated features have remained unknown until Thomas Fairlie and colleagues 3 conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the topic. Among 46 studies including 75 682 adults with DGBI, the authors found…
DescriptionThe purpose of this AGA Institute Clinical Practice Update is to review the available evidence supporting and examine opportunities for future research in endoscopic ultrasound–guided vascular investigation and therapies. MethodsThis Clinical Practice Update was commissioned and approved by the AGA Institute Clinical Practice Updates Committee and the AGA Governing Board to provide timely guidance on a topic of high clinical importance to the AGA membership, and underwent internal peer review by the Clinical Practice Updates Committee and external peer review through standard procedures of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. This expert commentary incorporates important as well as recently published studies in…
Noting that the term “nonalcoholic fatty liver disease” (NAFLD) is stigmatizing, an international group of medical organizations proposed a name change to “metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease” (MASLD). This new name, formulated by 236 experts from 54 countries, was recently announced in a consensus statement in the journal Hepatology opens in a new tab or window, after 74% of panelists agreed that the current name was “sufficiently flawed.” “The consensus was the result of a transparent and fair process that engaged the global community and the patient community,” said panelist Meena B. Bansal, MD, of the Icahn School of Medicine…
Fee-for-service payments encourage high-volume services rather than high-quality care. Alternative payment models (APMs) aim to realign financing to support high-value services. The 2 main components of gastroenterologic care, procedures and chronic care management, call for a range of APMs. The first step for gastroenterologists is to identify the most important conditions and opportunities to improve care and reduce waste that do not require financial support. We describe examples of delivery reforms and emerging APMs to accomplish these care improvements. A bundled payment for an episode of care, in which a provider is given a lump sum payment to cover the…