AbstractInflammatory bowel disease (IBD), encompassing ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), is a chronic, immune-mediated disorder that impacts the gastrointestinal tract. Significant advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of IBD have been made during the past few decades, improving patient outcomes. This narrative review aims to provide an overview of recent developments in the diagnosis and treatment of IBD. Both from an evaluative and therapeutic standpoint, the management of IBD has undergone significant change. The standard of treatment for treating UC and CD patients has changed due to several medical developments. These developments include amino-salicylates, immunosuppressants, biological agents, and…
Author: Abhay Panchal
WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 22, 2023 – A bill introduced in the Senate this week aims to improve future equitable access to new and innovative cancer screenings among Medicare beneficiaries in order to increase early detection of more cancers for more individuals. The Multi-Cancer Early Detection Act would allow Medicare to cover multi-cancer screening tests, once approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and proven to have clinical benefit. Lead sponsors of the Senate version of the Act include Senators Mike Bennet (D-CO), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Tim Scott (R-SC). Because the risk of cancer…
Vienna, Austria, June 24 – At EASL Congress 2023, the multinational liver societies leaders from La Asociación Latinoamericana para el Estudio del Hígado (ALEH), American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), and European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) as well as the co-chairs of the NAFLD Nomenclature Initiative announced that steatotic liver disease (SLD) was chosen as an overarching term to encompass the various aetiologies of steatosis. The term steatohepatitis was felt to be an important pathophysiological concept that should be retained. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) will now be metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease…
Research out of Europe shows that fecal transplants may be an effective treatment for people with end-stage chronic liver disease. The transplants work by replacing “bad” bacteria in the gut microbiome with “good” bacteria from a healthy donor. Fecal transplant pills have been approved in the United States to treat C. difficile infection. In addition to the cirrhosis research, there are a number of other potential applications for fecal transplantation.
Boston Children’s Hospital has been named the top hospital for pediatric gastroenterology in 2023 and 2024 by U.S. News and World Report. Fifty facilities were ranked based on success with patient volume, commitment to best practices, advanced clinical staff and technologies. Read more about the methodology here. The 25 best hospitals for pediatric gastroenterology in 2023 and 2024:
Clinicians should screen adults with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to a guideline update to the American Diabetes Association’s Standards of Care in Diabetes — 2023. The recommendation is particularly relevant for patients with obesity or cardiometabolic risk factors and those with established cardiovascular disease, the update’s authors wrote. Early diagnosis will help to ensure the optimal outcomes, the ADA said.
Diagnosing and treating gastrointestinal tract diseases can be notoriously invasive and time-consuming: blood and stool lab work; biopsies, colonoscopies and endoscopies; and X-rays, CT scans and MRI imaging. But what if there was an alternative as simple as popping a Bayer aspirin? Researchers in the University of Maryland’s MEMS Sensors and Actuators Laboratory (MSAL) in the A. James Clark School of Engineering have developed an ingestible capsule with a new packaging technology that can protect its tiny components in the sometimes harsh environment of the GI tract, then dissolve at precise moments and locations needed to deliver drugs, reveal sensors…
The article discusses the issue of the physician compensation gap and offers insights on how to address this disparity. It highlights that there is a growing discrepancy between the salaries of primary care physicians (PCPs) and specialists, with specialists earning significantly more. This disparity is often attributed to the relative value unit (RVU) system, which favors procedures performed by specialists over the primary care services provided by PCPs.
UnitedHealthcare has adopted a $0 out-of-pocket expense benefit for virtual visits for eligible members enrolled in applicable fully insured employer-sponsored plans. The new coverage enhancement is designed to make remote urgent care more affordable and convenient, UHC said. Starting July 1, eligible UnitedHealthcare members enrolled in fully insured medical plans, including policies with high deductibles, will begin to pay nothing out-of-pocket for round-the-clock virtual visits, effectively waiving any deductibles or copays, UHC said.
Private equity, physician groups and health insurers have acquired the vast majority of physician practices during the last five years. As physician polling data has shown, most physicians are choosing to become employed rather than operate their own practice due to increased costs and burden from policies like commercial insurer prior authorizations. However, the data show that hospitals are not the primary acquirers of physicians.