Author: Praveen Suthrum

What does the future of GI care look like? How will advancements in healthcare policies and technology, including AI, impact the GI community? Four GI leaders share their insights. Read More

First true GI-wearable device collects gastric electrical data; mapping function, motility and possibly response to therapy. A fascinating journey from intraoperative monitoring of gastric electrical activity to non-invasive percutaneous tracing. Join the conversation with Greg to learn about the story of Alimetry, initial research and transition to the current product. Learn about building your startup team, navigating the regulatory environment and carving the path into healthtech from a seasoned physician entrepreneur. Read More

CanSense’s test is a blood-based assay that uses laser spectroscopy and artificial intelligence to identify early-stage colorectal cancer and precancerous polyps. Read More

Though payers have been trying to push more procedures out of hospitals, low reimbursements have the potential to cause these efforts to backfire by pushing independent physicians, including gastroenterologists, to migrate to hospital settings. Robert Pecha, MD, president of Gastroenterology Medical Clinic in Folsom, Calif., recently connected with Becker’s to discuss his difficulties communicating with payers as a small, independent gastroenterology practice.

The risks of all-cause and liver-related mortality increase substantially based on fibrosis stage in biopsy-confirmed nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to a study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. In particular, patients with NAFLD and advanced fibrosis have a threefold higher risk of all-cause mortality and 10-fold higher risk of liver-related mortality, as compared with patients with NAFLD but not advanced fibrosis, Cheng Han Ng, with the National University of Singapore, and colleagues wrote. Read More

As a new wave of biosimilars to treat inflammatory bowel disease— an umbrella term for Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis—enter the US market, a lot of clinical and policy news regarding adalimumab and infliximab biosimilars emerged throughout the month of February. The Adalimumab Race Continues On the regulatory side, Sandoz’ citrate-free high-concentration version (HCF) of Hyrimoz, a biosimilar referencing Humira (adalimumab), was granted a positive opinion by the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, bringing the new formulation one step closer to regulatory approval across the European Union. Read More

Beginning June 1, 2023, you’ll be required to obtain prior authorization for gastroenterology endoscopy services for UnitedHealthcare commercial plan members, in accordance with the terms of their benefit plan. Please note that screening colonoscopy procedures are not included in this new medical necessity review requirement. Affected proceduresThe following procedures will now require prior authorizations: Esophagogastroduodenoscopies (EGD) Capsule endoscopies Diagnostic colonoscopies Surveillance colonoscopies

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. — In a Healio video exclusive, Aline Charabaty, MD, encourages women in gastroenterology to reject the notion of being “Superwoman” and instead focus on creating an optimal work-life balance. “When you relate your day to your friends and family, you often hear, ‘You are Superwoman, you are Wonder Woman,’ and I always thought it was flattering,” Charabaty, clinical director of gastroenterology and the IBD Center at Johns Hopkins Sibley Memorial Hospital and co-founder of Scrubs and Heels, said. “But I started thinking about this: What does it really mean?” Read More

Newswise — Bethesda, Maryland — March 1, 2023 — The GI Quality Improvement Consortium, Inc. (GIQuIC), a joint collaboration of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) and American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) offering the only national gastroenterology-focused clinical registry, will be moving to a powerful new technology platform powered by Health Catalyst, Inc. (“Health Catalyst”, Nasdaq: HCAT). A leading provider of data and analytics technology and services to healthcare organizations, Health Catalyst acquired ARMUS Corporation in 2022, which allows GIQuIC to take advantage of ARMUS’s HYBRID Clinical Registry and Reporting solution. ARMUS by Health Catalyst’s HYBRID cloud-based registry platform…

This issue addresses GI conditions and preventive care across all stages of life, ACG Clinical Guideline for the diagnosis and management of Biliary Strictures and more. Read More