With demand for colonoscopy and GI procedures surging, ambulatory endoscopy centers (AECs) are accelerating in the U.S. — now representing ~68% of Medicare-billing ASCs, most focused on GI. A recent OlympusTalks podcast featuring Dr. Nalini Guda (GI Associates, WI) and Dr. Neil Parikh (Connecticut GI / GI Alliance) highlights why AECs continue to gain ground — and what challenges remain. 3 Major Pain Points AECs Address ✔ Access: Faster scheduling, purpose-built throughput✔ Cost: Lower facility expense than hospitals; efficient single-specialty workflow✔ Patient Experience: Predictable timing, no hospital delays — “no bumping for emergencies”
Author: Abhay Panchal
Early-career gastroenterologists are frequently asked: “What’s your niche?” — often implying they must immediately declare themselves the IBD specialist, the liver expert, or the advanced endoscopist. In this commentary, Alicia H. Muratore, MD, MBA (UNC) challenges that assumption.As a trainee, she pursued obesity medicine, nutrition, informatics, and workflow redesign — interests that didn’t fit neatly into any classic sub-subspecialty. With support from program leadership, she recognized that a “niche” can emerge not from a title, but from a unique way of seeing problems and building solutions.
A new national AGA survey reveals 63% of Americans now view obesity as a chronic disease — not a personal failure. And more than 8 in 10 believe insurance should pay for medical treatment, including GLP-1 therapies and bariatric surgery. Yet despite this shift, cost and lack of coverage remain the biggest barriers — leaving millions unable to access treatments that could prevent liver disease and other serious GI conditions.As obesity care reshapes GI practice, the policy gap is widening. If Congress doesn’t act on the long-stalled Treat and Reduce Obesity Act, patients—and GI clinicians—remain stuck.
The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) has urged the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to consider certain inclusion and exclusion criteria when asking sponsors to conduct clinical trials for drugs to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The group commented on two draft guidances on the topic and asked the agency to convene public meetings to allow more dialogue before the guidances are finalized.
As GI volumes grow and patient expectations evolve, ASCs face new pressure to reduce appointment cancellations, streamline communication and strengthen operational and cultural foundations ahead of 2026. During Becker’s 31st Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs in Chicago, four GI leaders shared the strategies they believe will define success in the coming years. The panel featured Dean Lehmkuhler, administrator of Indianapolis-based Northside Gastroenterology Endoscopy Center; Sumana Moole, MD, physician and founder of Suwanee, Ga.-based Merus Gastroenterology & Gut Health; Benjamin Levy, MD, gastroenterologist at University of Chicago Medicine in Chicago; and Emma Gimmel, BSN, RN, director of nursing…
Noninvasive CRC screening is getting crowded — but not all “easy” tests are created equal.This new review compares FIT, multitarget stool DNA (Cologuard / Cologuard Plus), the next-gen stool RNA test (ColoSense), and emerging blood-based tests like Shield. The takeaway is blunt: stool-based tests still outperform today’s blood tests on effectiveness and cost, especially for advanced precancerous lesions. Blood-based tests should be reserved for patients who refuse colonoscopy and stool options — at least until sensitivity, adenoma detection, and pricing improve.
On Nov. 21, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the CY 2026 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System final rule, outlining updates to Medicare facility payment policies and rates for hospital outpatient and ASC services.
A new practice-management editorial argues that the long-dominant ASC model is showing cracks:• Professional fees for colonoscopy have dropped >40% since 2001 • Facility profits are increasingly captured by national ASC owners • Anesthesia costs and staffing shortages continue to squeeze margins With Medicare proposing +14% payment for office-based endoscopy in 2026 (and –7% for ASC settings), GI groups are re-evaluating where their future growth comes from. Leaders like Dr. Lawrence Kosinski say office suites can restore control, autonomy, and value-based agility — while maintaining safety and patient experience. The full article breaks down the financial inflection point, state payer…
Abbott has announced a $23B deal to acquire Exact Sciences, maker of the leading at-home colorectal cancer test used more than 16 million times since launch. Analysts are calling it one of the boldest medtech moves of the decade—a direct bet on the future of cancer diagnostics. Why this matters:• Abbott is doubling its diagnostics market opportunity, from $60B to $120B • Cologuard’s growth could accelerate dramatically through international expansion • Exact’s pipeline (MRD, liquid biopsies, genomic profiling) gives Abbott a foothold across diagnosis → treatment selection → recurrence monitoring Some experts see a smart offensive play. Others question whether…
A breakthrough from Chinese researchers may one day replace colonoscopies with a glowing, bacteria-powered pill. In a new ACS Sensors study, scientists engineered a tiny capsule containing magnetized, heme-sensing bacteria that light up when they detect intestinal bleeding — a hallmark of colitis and other GI diseases. After traveling through the gut, the pill’s biosensors can be retrieved from stool in minutes, and the intensity of their glow reflects disease severity. Early mouse data showed strong accuracy, no safety concerns, and the potential to diagnose gut inflammation without scopes, sedation, or bowel prep. It’s still early-stage science — but if…