The acquisition of medical practices and hospitals by private equity (PE) firms is on the rise, with over 1,400 PE deals in healthcare in 2021, amounting to more than $208 billion. However, the aftermath of these acquisitions varies. For instance, after her emergency medicine group was bought by a staffing firm backed by a PE firm, Dr. Michelle Wiener from Detroit noted significant workflow changes, reduced staffing, and decreased morale. On the other hand, Dr. Madan Kandula, an otolaryngologist from Milwaukee, found the changes after his practice’s partnership with a PE firm in 2020 to be positive, with improvements in…
Author: Abhay Panchal
US Digestive Health (USDH), one of the largest gastroenterology practices in the U.S., has announced the opening of a new office in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, located at 840 Town Center Drive, Langhorne. This expansion is in line with the organization’s commitment to patient needs and health prioritization. Jerry Tillinger, CEO of USDH, emphasized the practice’s dedication to providing access to top-tier physicians, emerging research, and innovation. The new office will house eight new providers, enhancing the continuity of care and offering specialized knowledge. Additionally, four existing Langhorne providers and 16 staff members will move to this location, bolstering the practice’s…
Appropriate post–upper EGD care in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) can improve patient outcomes and reduce cost, but not all recommendations are consistently followed. Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine Anschutz Medical Campus, in Aurora, attempted to improve guideline adherence by adding a notes template to EHRs to prompt appropriate documentation and follow-up care. The notes templates were tailored to the etiology and severity of the UGIB based on the 2007 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases guidelines on variceal UGIB, the 2019 International Consensus Group guidelines on nonvariceal UGIB and established 2015 quality…
According to a study by WalletHub, there’s a significant difference in the average salaries of gastroenterologists based on the quality of healthcare in various states. In Minnesota, which is ranked as the best state for healthcare, gastroenterologists earn an average of $379,556, which is $55,526 more than their counterparts in West Virginia, the worst state for healthcare, where the average salary is $324,030. WalletHub’s rankings were based on three dimensions: cost, access, and outcomes, evaluated using 44 metrics such as the cost of a medical visit, physicians per capita, and life expectancy. The top five states for gastroenterologist salaries are…
The FDA has given 510(k) clearance to a new endoscopy system that will offer providers the benefits of 4K resolution and ergonomic improvements. The system developed by Pentax consists of the new 4K video processor, Inspira, and an upgraded i20c scope series. Although the upgraded i20c scopes and video processor are designed to work together, the processor has two connection types, allowing providers to use existing equipment. The older scopes also benefit from the new technology, improving the output video quality even without the new scopes attached, the company told Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News. The video processor also touts a…
Amazon is beginning to open new locations of the primary care provider One Medical — a potential game-changer for medical care — which it acquired earlier this year, as the tech giant moves into the health care space. One Medical told ABC News it has just opened two locations in Connecticut, is planning to open a third office in the Castro neighborhood in San Francisco, and will open its first office in Milwaukee this fall.
Medicare Advantage enrollment has been on a steady climb for the past two decades following changes in policy designed to encourage a robust role for private plan options in Medicare. After a period of some instability in terms of plan participation and enrollment, The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 created stronger financial incentives for plans to participate in the program throughout the country and renamed private Medicare plans Medicare Advantage. In 2023, 30.8 million people are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, accounting for more than half, or 51 percent, of the eligible Medicare population, and $454 billion (or 54%)…
Patients with irritable bowel disease (IBD) who experience symptoms of anxiety or depression are at an increased risk of poorer disease outcomes including resistance to steroid therapy.1 According to new research from a team of China-based investigators, anxiety and/or depression symptoms were significantly associated with worsened outcomes in IBD management. The findings call for expanded research into the correlation between psychiatric wellness and systemic improvement in IBD care.
Private equity investment in the healthcare sector is booming, and Democratic lawmakers are concerned, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Private equity firms have been responsible for 56 percent of physician practice acquisitions since 2019, according to an American Hospital Association report, and PE firms are among the fastest-growing acquirers of healthcare groups. Bain & Co. reported private equity firms own at least 130 rural-serving hospitals. When private equity firms invest in hospitals and physician practices, there are higher costs, according to research done by the University of Chicago and published in BMJ. The researchers examined 55…
Despite advances in treatment, a large proportion of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) do not achieve or stay in remission even after further lines of treatment have been given. Up until now, one major obstacle has impeded our interpretation of studies focusing on patients suffering from this chronic condition: the lack of standard criteria and terminology among authors. Under the guidance of the endpoints cluster of the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IOIBD), a group of experts held a consensus meeting to propose a common operative definition for “difficult-to-treat IBD.” It’s the first step to…