Blood-based colorectal cancer screening is entering a new era with FDA-approved and emerging tests like Shield and Simple Screen. Alongside updated stool-based options such as Cologuard Plus and CRC-PREVENT, clinicians now have a broader landscape of noninvasive tools to consider and discuss with their patients. Joining Dr. Peter Buch to talk about current recommendations and potential future directions for colorectal cancer screening is Dr. Aasma Shaukat. Dr. Shaukat is the Robert M. and Mary H. Glickman Professor of Medicine and a Professor of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, as well as the Director of Outcomes Research in…
Author: Abhay Panchal
Identifying the one harmful mutation hidden among tens of thousands in a patient’s genome remains one of medicine’s hardest challenges — especially for people waiting years for a diagnosis. A new model from Harvard Medical School, called popEVE, could change that. It doesn’t just flag risky variants — it ranks them by predicted disease severity, even identifying previously unknown genetic causes of devastating childhood disorders. Clinicians say it could help finally answer the question families have waited too long to hear: | “What’s causing this?” But can AI truly transform the rare disease diagnostic pipeline?
As patient expectations evolve, 13 technologies are quietly determining which practices grow — and which get left behind. Healthcare providers are being asked to do the impossible: increase patient volume while managing staff shortages, reimbursement pressure, and rising consumer demands. And patients are no longer waiting. Medical Economics reports that people now expect healthcare to match the digital ease of retail and travel — instant scheduling, clear navigation, fast responses, and flexible access. When a practice falls short, patients don’t complain… they simply go elsewhere. This shift has turned technology from a back-office efficiency tool into a front-door growth engine.…
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”
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.