It’s been a turbulent week in U.S. healthcare policy: the House dropped Trump’s proposed $18B NIH cut but slashed HHS and CDC budgets; Florida moved to eliminate all vaccine mandates; the Trump administration agreed to restore health information pages removed earlier this year; over 1,000 HHS staff demanded Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s resignation; and CMS unveiled a $50B Rural Health Transformation Program. With so many shifts colliding at once, the big question is—how will these changes reshape care access and costs in the years ahead?
Author: Abhay Panchal
A ransomware group called Sinobi has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on Pittsburgh Gastroenterology Associates, raising alarms over potential exposure of sensitive patient data ranging from Social Security numbers to medical records. While full details of what was stolen remain unclear, the breach could impact thousands of patients across multiple affiliated hospitals. With lawsuits already under investigation, the real question is: will this case become a turning point in how GI practices protect against rising cyber threats?
From symptom trackers to multidisciplinary app-based platforms, evidence-based digital therapeutics are expanding access to brain-gut behavioral care for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Dr. Peter Buch sits down with Dr. Iris Wang to discuss the spectrum of available tools and explore strategies for aligning them with individual patient needs. Dr. Wang is an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Associate Program Director of the Gastroenterology Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Can personalized risk messages really motivate people to get screened for colon cancer? A large randomized trial across 41 primary care clinics suggests not. Patients who received tailored risk scores were no more likely to complete screening than those given generic reminders—and in some cases, were less likely to undergo colonoscopy, especially if told their risk was low. Yet, the twist came at one health system where stool test uptake did increase with personalized messaging. The findings raise a provocative question: could emphasizing non-invasive stool testing over colonoscopy be the future of personalized screening strategies?
Colorectal cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers worldwide, partly because colonoscopies—though highly accurate—are costly and invasive, leading many to delay screening. Now, researchers at the University of Geneva have developed a machine learning model that analyzes gut bacteria at the subspecies level, achieving a striking 90% accuracy in detecting colorectal cancer from simple stool samples. That’s nearly on par with colonoscopy and better than any other non-invasive method to date. With clinical trials underway, could a low-cost stool test soon reshape how we screen not just for colorectal cancer, but potentially many other diseases linked to the microbiome?
At the 2025 FOOD the Main Course conference in Ann Arbor, experts including Dr. William Chey, Kate Scarlata, and Amanda Lynett joined Tuesday Night IBS hosts for a live crossover podcast. The discussion explored how diet influences the microbiome, the importance of collaborative peer-to-peer learning, and the growing integration of dietitians in GI care. Topics included stress–diet connections in IBS, rising constipation rates, colectomy decision-making, and the impact of GLP-1 therapies on gut health. Speakers emphasized filtering online misinformation and fostering a supportive community for patients and providers alike.
A new study of 1,000+ hospital acquisitions over 19 years challenges the common belief that private equity harms hospitals: PE-owned hospitals were no more likely to close, maintained quality of care, and restored staffing levels for clinicians after initial cuts. The biggest, lasting change was a 20–30% reduction in administrative staff and wages, especially in nonprofits, while clinical wages held steady. Patient outcomes (mortality, readmissions) did not worsen, though colonoscopy prices rose nearly 30% due to ACA’s zero cost-sharing policy. Researchers argue PE often rescues struggling hospitals by improving efficiency, exploiting policy loopholes, and boosting marketability—potentially benefiting taxpayers and patients…
Coaching, widely used in business and sports, is gaining traction in medical education as a way to help trainees reach their full potential. Unlike teaching or mentoring, coaching is trainee-centered—focusing on self-reflection, goal setting, and problem-solving rather than direct instruction. In gastroenterology fellowships, coaching improves performance (procedural/clinical skills), development (leadership, identity, time management), well-being (reducing burnout, boosting resilience), and remediation (leveraging strengths to overcome challenges). By combining behavior modification and mindset coaching, fellows learn technical skills while also addressing beliefs and coping strategies that influence performance. Implementation, however, requires investment in faculty training, program structure, and protected time. Group coaching…
Dr. Michael Dragutsky, a Memphis gastroenterologist and founder of Gastro One, warns that falling Medicare physician payments—down over 30% after inflation in two decades—are pushing small practices toward consolidation or closure, especially in rural Tennessee. Rising costs for staff, equipment, and operations are colliding with stagnant reimbursements, leaving independent groups struggling to survive. When practices fold into hospital systems, patients pay more for the same procedures, while Medicare spending also rises. Dragutsky highlights the bipartisan Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act, which would reverse 2025 cuts and tie future payments to the Medicare Economic Index, ensuring fair adjustments that…
Guardant Health announced updated clinical results for its Shield™ blood test, showing 84% sensitivity and 90% specificity for detecting colorectal cancer (CRC) with its new V2 algorithm, including 62% sensitivity in stage I disease. The findings, validated in an expanded ECLIPSE study cohort, met all primary endpoints and highlighted robust early-stage detection (100% sensitivity in stage II and IV). Shield remains the first and only FDA-approved blood test for primary CRC screening in average-risk adults and was recently added to NCCN guidelines. The platform is also being expanded into multi-cancer detection.