National healthcare expenditures in the U.S. hit $5.2 trillion in 2024, growing faster than the economy, with physician and clinical services—closely linked to ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs)—crossing $1 trillion for the first time. This trend is expected to continue, driven by an aging Medicare population and rising outpatient demand. Medicare spending is projected to grow faster than Medicaid and commercial payers, presenting both opportunity and complexity for ASCs, especially amid growing Medicare Advantage enrollment. Meanwhile, hospital care remains the top expenditure category, but CMS is pushing for more procedures to shift to lower-cost outpatient settings—further favoring ASCs.
Author: Abhay Panchal
Drs. Lisa Mathew (Colorado) and Violeta Popov (New York) are urging state lawmakers to mandate Medicaid coverage for obesity treatments, especially given the rising rates of metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) among Hispanic populations. In their local op-eds, both physicians emphasize that obesity is a root cause of MASLD and that prevention hinges on access to comprehensive care — from medication to lifestyle interventions.
By year’s end, the FDA may approve the first oral GLP-1 pill — a 25 mg daily dose of semaglutide (Wegovy) — for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight and comorbidities. Based on the phase 3 OASIS 4 trial, the pill led to an average 13.6% weight loss over 64 weeks with a favorable safety profile, showing promise comparable to injectable GLP-1s. Physicians are cautiously optimistic. While some predict high demand — especially among patients averse to needles or weekly injections — others note uncertainties around insurance coverage, adherence, and misuse risks. There’s also buzz around newer…
Patient recruitment has long been a bottleneck in clinical trials, especially in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), where competition for eligible participants is fierce. In a game-changing collaboration, Thermo Fisher’s PPD clinical research business and Virgo are leveraging real-time endoscopy video data and AI-powered tools to identify trial candidates during routine diagnostic procedures. Virgo’s platform, already deployed in 150+ sites, captures and analyzes endoscopic video to match patients to appropriate IBD trials at the moment of diagnosis — eliminating the need for repeat procedures and drastically shortening recruitment timelines. With over 1.7 million procedures recorded and proprietary AI like AutoIBD, Virgo…
Host: Dr. Ruchir PaladiyaGuest: Dr. Neil Khoury, outgoing PGY-6 GI Fellow at UConn, incoming attending at USF Tampa GeneralIn this kickoff to the Gastroenterology sub-specialty mini-series, Dr. Neil Khoury offers practical, high-yield advice for interns joining the inpatient GI team. He covers everything from setting expectations and optimizing consults to managing team dynamics—tailored for both medical students and residents beginning their GI rotations.
The first half of 2025 has brought major developments in gastroenterology, spanning new drug approvals, trial data, and clinical guidance. Two major FDA approvals expanded the use of IL-23-targeted therapies in Crohn’s disease: mirikizumab (Omvoh) and guselkumab (Tremfya), both showing strong clinical efficacy across trials.
At the 2025 ASCO GI Spotlight, Dr. Anita Turk, a medical oncologist at IU Health, highlighted promising developments in colorectal cancer treatment, particularly in the adjuvant immunotherapy space. She emphasized the significance of the ATOMIC trial (NCT02912559) in demonstrating the curative potential of immunotherapy and discussed the ongoing BREAKWATER trial (NCT04607421), which explores the addition of encorafenib and cetuximab to chemotherapy for BRAF-mutant colorectal cancer. Dr. Turk also expressed optimism about emerging immunotherapy combinations showing early activity in metastatic colorectal cancer, including in patients with traditionally resistant MMR-proficient or microsatellite-stable tumors. These developments reflect a shift toward more effective, personalized…
In a compelling episode of The Scope, retired gastroenterologist Dr. Shanker Mukherjee shares how he diagnosed himself with IgG4-related disease, a rare autoimmune condition, after experiencing persistent back pain and inconclusive test results. Initially suspected to have lymphoma, Dr. Mukherjee’s deep dive into his own medical data led him to uncover the correct diagnosis. He joins Dr. Allison Yang, medical director of Weill Cornell’s Pancreas Program, to discuss the diagnostic challenges of this elusive disease and emerging treatment approaches. The episode offers a unique look at the intersection of clinical expertise and personal health journeys.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., abruptly canceled a scheduled meeting of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force — a long-standing, nonpartisan panel that issues evidence-based recommendations on preventive health services like cancer screenings and STI testing. This cancellation, coming on the heels of Kennedy’s dismissal of CDC vaccine advisers, has raised alarm among health experts and lawmakers who fear the task force may be the next target in a political reshaping of public health policy. Critics argue this move threatens the task force’s integrity and could disrupt access to free…
Private equity-backed consolidation is rapidly reshaping gastroenterology. Nearly 10% of U.S. gastroenterologists now work in PE-owned practices, and from 2019 to 2023, at least 108 GI practices were consolidated. In 2023 alone, over a dozen GI companies expanded their footprint. Gregory Brennan, MD, a gastroenterologist based in Mansfield, Texas, spoke with Becker’s about what he’s seeing in his region — where deals involving both primary care and specialty groups are increasingly common.