Earlier this year, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lowered its recommended age for colorectal screening from age 50 to 45. One result is that providers for the procedure experienced a huge overnight growth in their patient populations. Bill Rhoades, COO of Harrisburg (Pa.) Endoscopy and Surgery Center, told “Becker’s ASC Review Podcast” that the lowered guideline, along with insurance companies encouraging members to seek treatment at ASCs, are key factors for endoscopy growth in the near future. Note: This is an edited excerpt. Listen to the full podcast episode here.
Author: Praveen Suthrum
Background and AimsIncreasingly, gastroenterologists are being asked to assist in the closure of defects. Although there are several available tools that can be used for defect closure, there remains a need for devices that are easy to use, effective, and durable. The aim of this case series is to demonstrate the use of a novel helical tack system in the closure of upper GI defects.
Typically, screening for colorectal cancers requires patients to collect stool samples for regular testing or undergo more invasive procedures like colonoscopies, barium enemas and sigmoidoscopies. Those largely undesirable options have resulted in screening rates well below the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s goal to see at least 80% of Americans ages 50 and older undergoing regular colorectal cancer screening. Guardant Health is aiming to improve those stats. Its Lunar-2 liquid biopsy test is designed to catch colorectal cancer in its earliest stages and requires only a standard blood draw, offering a less invasive and time-consuming alternative to the current…
Exact Sciences Corp. (Nasdaq: EXAS) today announced that the company generated revenue of $456.4 million for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021, compared to $408.4 million for the same period of 2020. “Exact Sciences is entering an exciting period for its pipeline, generating evidence to support innovative tests that will help defeat cancer through earlier detection,” said Kevin Conroy, chairman and CEO. “Our powerful commercial engine will help us achieve our mission by getting more people tested with Cologuard®, Oncotype DX®, and our future tests.”
Telehealth provider Doctor on Demand and clinical navigation platform Grand Rounds are merging to create a new integrated, multibillion-dollar virtual care company. The new company will combine Grand Rounds’ data-driven clinical navigation platform, which helps patients find the right care and expertise for specific conditions, with Doctor on Demand’s virtual care offering, according to a March 16 news release. Both Doctor on Demand and Grand Rounds will continue to operate under their existing brands for the time being, and Grand Rounds CEO Owen Tripp will serve as CEO of the new expanded virtual care business.
CMS on Nov. 2 posted its 2022 Medicare physician fee schedule final rule, which includes updates on policy changes for Medicare payments and other Medicare Part B issues. Five notes for physicians: On Jan. 1, the conversion factor CMS uses to calculate reimbursement will decrease $1.30 to $33.59 when a temporary payment increase provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act expires.The appropriations act contained a 3.75 percent payment increase for all physician fee schedule services. The expiration of the temporary increase adds to cuts stemming from the expiring moratorium on the 2 percent Medicare sequester and the 4 percent Medicare payment…
Cameron Black, Chief Investment Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield Arizona, shares how the firm is thinking about healthcare investment in the wake of Covid-19 and where the greatest opportunities lie
United Digestive announces its further expansion in the Metro Atlanta area through a partnership with DeKalb Gastroenterology Associates (DGA). Founded in 1976, DGA operates two clinics and an endoscopy center serving the communities of Decatur and Lithonia, Ga., and its care team includes 11 providers.
On Jan. 11, 2021, TheNew York Times posted an article about the virtues of fecal immunochemical testing relative to colonoscopy. The story, “A Colonoscopy Alternative Comes Home” [https://www.nytimes.com/ 2021/ 01/ 11/ health/ colonoscopy-health-home-testing.html] depicted colonoscopy as a comparatively risky procedure with few advantages over less invasive methods of testing for colorectal cancer. It also offered the speculation that financial factors— namely, greater reimbursement for endoscopy—was behind the general preference of gastroenterologists for colonoscopy over stool tests.
Here are gastroenterologists leading major hospitals’ GI departments: Note: Profiles are presented alphabetically. Nezam Afdhal, MD. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston). Dr. Afdhal is the chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at Beth Israel. His clinical interests include gallbladder disorders, hepatitis B and C, and liver cancer. Wolfram Goessling, MD, PhD. Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston). Dr. Goessling is the chief of the gastroenterology division at Massachusetts General Hospital and is the Jules L. Dienstag, MD, and Betty and Newell Hale Endowed Chair in Gastroenterology. He’s also a professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston. W. Ray Kim, MD. Stanford (Calif.) Hospital. Dr. Kim is chief of the gastroenterology…