Epic, which powers electronic health records for nearly half of U.S. hospitals, is preparing to launch its own AI note-taking tool for clinicians — a space so far dominated by startups like Abridge, Suki AI, Nabla, and Microsoft-owned Nuance. The move could cut into competitors’ market share, though industry experts like Brendan Keeler predict a slow start before steady improvement. The appeal is clear: ambient scribes save doctors hours of documentation, as seen in Kaiser Permanente’s 15,700-hour annual time savings. But with costs ranging from $100–$400 per doctor per month, Epic’s integrated offering — backed by its free-tool strategy —…
Author: Abhay Panchal
Cardinal Health is deepening its specialty care footprint with a $1.9 billion deal to acquire Solaris Health, a urology-focused MSO, from Lee Equity Partners and physician owners. The acquisition, expected to close by year-end, will fold Solaris’ 750+ providers and 250+ locations across 14 states into The Specialty Alliance, boosting Cardinal’s multispecialty platform to about 3,000 providers in 32 states. CEO Jason Hollar called urology an “attractive specialty” with robust ancillary services, noting that the move accelerates Cardinal’s growth strategy alongside recent acquisitions in oncology, GI, and diabetes. Despite flat Q4 revenue, the company raised its 2026 earnings outlook, betting…
Private equity’s deepening role in US healthcare — from hospitals and nursing homes to high-margin specialty practices — has drawn sharp scrutiny from federal and state enforcers. The Biden-era FTC and DOJ aggressively challenged “roll-up” strategies, warning they can hike prices, reduce care quality, and limit access. While the second Trump administration appears less hostile, state regulators have stepped up, using “mini-HSR” laws in at least 15 states to review even smaller healthcare deals.
Microba Life Sciences Limited has completed a $14.5 million capital raise through a placement and share purchase plan. The funds will fuel the company’s ongoing work in microbiome research and development, aiming to strengthen its role in diagnostics, therapeutics, and gut health innovation.
Dr. Robin Mendelsohn, Co-Director of MSK’s Center for Young Onset Colorectal and GI Cancers, weighs in on the FDA-approved Shield blood test — the first of its kind for average-risk adults 45 and older. While it’s less invasive than colonoscopy, she notes that Shield misses over a third of stage 1 colorectal cancers and detects just 13% of precancerous polyps, falling short of the prevention goal.
In this GI Alliance perspective, Dr. Neil D. Parikh warns that early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) is rapidly rising — with millennials facing double the lifetime risk compared to prior generations. Many patients present late, often with aggressive histologic types like mucinous and signet-ring carcinomas, in part due to misdiagnoses such as IBS or hemorrhoids. He urges GI physicians to lead in prevention — by educating patients, pushing for policy change, and supporting microbiome-focused research — framing EOCRC as a “largely preventable” crisis that demands immediate action.
In GI and Hepatology News, Dr. Allon Kahn shares five principles that can elevate a gastroenterologist’s role as a consultant — going far beyond clinical expertise. He emphasizes how approach, communication style, and professional integrity shape both patient outcomes and colleague relationships. From fostering trust to making your recommendations stand out, his insights challenge GIs to rethink what makes a consultation truly effective — and what behaviors might unintentionally undermine it.
The American Gastroenterological Association reports that CMS’s 2026 payment proposal could deliver a windfall to GI practices performing endoscopy in-office — an estimated $37 million more for office-based endoscopy. Physicians could see an average 16% payment increase for top GI endoscopy procedures and an 8% boost for office/outpatient E/M visits. The shift aims to incentivize procedures in lower-cost office settings over ASCs and HOPDs. Practices with high in-office volumes stand to benefit significantly if the proposals are finalized.
Jennifer Byrne reports — with fact-checking by Heather Biele — that a study led by Jared A. Sninsky, MD, MSCR found vitamin D to be a safe, low-cost adjunct in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) management. Drawing on data from over 5,000 veterans with ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, or indeterminate colitis, the team observed significant reductions in IBD-related emergency visits, hospitalizations, and corticosteroid prescriptions among patients who received vitamin D supplements after testing.
In a multicentre observational study across four Polish endoscopy centres participating in the ACCEPT trial, Krzysztof Budzyń, Marcin Romańczyk, Diana Kitala, Paweł Kołodziej, Marek Bugajski, and Hans O. Adami examined whether continuous exposure to AI-assisted colonoscopy affects endoscopist performance when AI is not in use. The team analyzed 1,443 non-AI-assisted diagnostic colonoscopies—795 performed before and 648 after AI introduction. Results showed a drop in adenoma detection rate (ADR) from 28.4% pre-AI to 22.4% post-AI exposure (absolute difference –6.0%, p=0.0089). Multivariable analysis identified AI exposure (OR 0.69), male patient sex, and age ≥60 years as independent factors influencing ADR. The authors…