Upper endoscopy is performed every day in GI, yet many exams still fall short of true quality — a gap highlighted by Harish K. Gagneja, MD, MACG, at DDW 2025. In his talk, Dr. Gagneja shared why seemingly simple choices — how thoroughly the mucosa is washed, which imaging systems are used, and how long we actually spend inspecting the stomach — can dramatically change what is found or missed. He argues that a minimum seven-minute inspection can reveal lesions easily overlooked in routine practice, and he outlines a surprisingly detailed approach to photo-documentation that many endoscopists don’t currently follow.
Author: Abhay Panchal
Many patients are quietly turning away from traditional healthcare — and toward A.I. tools — for answers they feel they can’t get from their doctors.A new NYT feature follows a 79-year-old woman who asked her physician a simple question about protein intake… only to receive boilerplate advice that didn’t match her history. ChatGPT, in contrast, gave her precise numbers in seconds — triggering an uncomfortable realization about empathy, burnout, and what modern medicine is failing to provide. The article explores why one in six adults now seek medical information from chatbots monthly, how trust is shifting, and what this means…
Elon Musk is raising eyebrows again — this time in medicine. In a recent interview, he claimed Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, will eventually perform surgeries with superhuman precision, surpassing even the best clinicians. Musk imagines a world where surgical expertise is mass-produced in factories and every patient, everywhere, can access a “perfect surgeon.” There’s no medical version of Optimus today — the robot is still early in development — but Musk says the upcoming V3 prototype will signal a major leap toward healthcare applications. If his prediction holds, robotic surgery could shift from an elite capability to a universal standard.
In this latest commentary, Dr. David Johnson spotlights six breakthrough studies poised to influence GI practice. A serum-based test shows promising accuracy for early pancreatic cancer, potentially outperforming CA19-9. New data reveals unexpectedly high adenoma formation after immune-checkpoint-inhibitor colitis — raising questions about how soon to re-scope these patients. Another study shows early biologic use may sharply reduce rehospitalization for ICI-associated colitis.
Becker’s Healthcare outlines 15 trends that reveal a specialty under pressure and in transition. Gastroenterologists now generate nearly $3M in hospital revenue each year, yet open positions take over 180 days to fill and almost 1,400 GI specialists are projected to be missing from the workforce by 2037. Meanwhile, demand is surging — earlier-onset colon cancer, rising colonoscopy volumes, and expanding ASCs are reshaping how and where GI care is delivered. At the same time, private equity is accelerating its footprint with 28% growth since 2021, often controlling large portions of local markets and driving higher prices without measurable gains…
Dr. Paul Limburg, CMO at Exact Sciences and emeritus professor at Mayo Clinic, discusses advances in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, including mailed FIT programs to boost screening in rural and underserved populations. He covers developments in multi-target stool testing, addressing gastroenterologists’ skepticism, ensuring follow-up colonoscopies for positive tests, AI integration, microbiome research, and potential direct-to-consumer testing. He also shares insights on transitioning from academic to industry roles and the future of stool-based testing alongside colonoscopy.
AGA’s new clinical practice guideline on the pharmacological management of moderate-to-severe Crohn’s disease offers 16 evidence-based recommendations to guide treatment decisions. This guideline incorporates the latest comparative research on 11 different medications, helping you determine the most effective therapies for your patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn’s disease. Key updates AGA recommends the use of infliximab, adalimumab, ustekinumab, risankizumab, mirikizumab, guselkumab, or upadacitinib, and suggests the use of certolizumab pegol or vedolizumab for managing moderate-to-severe Crohn’s disease. Notably, the guideline emphasizes early use of these advanced therapies — rather than step-up approaches that rely on corticosteroids or immunomodulators first — to improve…
In this episode of Private Practice Perspectives, Dr. Naresh Gunaratnam, current president and board chair of Digestive Health Physician Association, speaks with Dr. Larry Kim, current president of AGA, about how GI societies can best support fellows and early career physicians.
By 2037, the U.S. faces a projected shortfall of ~1,390 gastroenterologists, driven by rising patient demand, limited fellowship positions, and uneven geographic distribution. Currently, there are ~19,200 gastroenterologists, including ~1,600 pediatric specialists, with about 1 in 6 working in locum tenens roles to fill coverage gaps. Recruitment is challenging, with median vacancy times of 186 days, and each gastroenterologist generates ~$2.9 million in annual hospital revenue. Key strategies to mitigate shortages include GI hospitalist models and integrating locum tenens gastroenterologists to maintain access, improve patient flow, and sustain hospital revenue, particularly in underserved regions.
Medicare just rewrote the telehealth rulebook for 2026. The new funding bill and final Physician Fee Schedule lock in some long-awaited wins—like permanent virtual direct supervision and teaching-physician flexibility—but also roll back a major pandemic-era convenience: doctors can no longer bill from home using their regular practice address. For many GI and specialty groups, that change means operational headaches and new compliance work. AGA has already flagged it as a key advocacy issue to fix before implementation.