Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Optum, a UnitedHealth Group company, has the largest network of physicians in the U.S., and a growing chain of ASCs. 1. Optum’s network has more than 53,000 physicians, which is 5.4 percent of all U.S. physicians, according to a March 5 Bloomberg report. St. Louis-based Ascension ranked No. 2 with 49,000 physicians, and Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare was No. 3 with 47,000 physicians.2. Optum said it aims to add 10,000 physicians to its network this year.3. OptumHealth, the division of Optum including physician practices and ASCs, nearly tripled its revenue in the last five years to $40 billion in 2020, according…
Author: Praveen Suthrum
The prevalence of Barrett’s esophagus was 12.8% among women with scleroderma, according to a study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. “Women with [systemic sclerosis] with BE were significantly more likely to have absent contractility with hypotensive lower esophageal sphincter findings on [high-resolution manometry],” Diana L. Snyder, MD, from the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at Mayo Clinic, and colleagues wrote. “The high prevalence and incidence of dysplasia found suggest that women with SSc should be included in the screening recommendations for BE.”
What does retirement look like after a long career as one of the country’s leading endoscopists? For Jerome D. Waye, MD, it looks like an opportunity to broaden the scope, so to speak, by expanding international instruction to any place that has high-speed internet access, beginning with a small village in Uganda. Waye, 88, an emeritus professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City, esteemed by colleagues and GI societies for pioneering techniques in colonoscopy and for his unflagging enthusiasm, retired at the end of 2019. But retirement just meant more time to pursue…
It’s now confirmed: What you eat does affect your risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). An umbrella review of studies and meta-analyses found “convincing evidence of an association between a lower CRC risk and higher intakes of dietary fiber, dietary calcium, and yogurt and lower intakes of alcohol and red meat.” However, more research is needed to address the link between CRC and other foods, including dairy products, whole grains, processed meat, and specific dietary patterns, the authors conclude.
Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease had a moderately increased risk for extrahepatic cancers, such as gastrointestinal, breast and gynecological cancers, according to a meta-analysis. Giovanni Targher, MD, from the University of Verona in Italy, and colleagues wrote that NAFLD is already recognized as a leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma, but it is gaining interest for its link with other cancers as well.
A preprocedure checklist written collaboratively by charge nurses from Mayo Clinic’s gastrointestinal endoscopy and medical care units significantly reduced the number of canceled and rescheduled procedures and enhanced staff communication and satisfaction during a pilot study. The Mayo Clinic team compared procedure cancellations and other factors before and after implementation of the checklist in a study published in Gastroenterology Nursing (2019;42[1]:79-83). They found that of 25 endoscopy procedures scheduled during the pre-pilot period, six were rescheduled and five were canceled, leaving only 14 procedures completed. In the comparative post-pilot period, 42 of 51 scheduled procedures were performed, with 10 not completed (eight…
Memphis, Tenn.-based One GI and Michigan-based Pinnacle GI Partners are among the fastest-growing platforms in GI with a combined six deals between them since their formation. One GI formed in April 2020 when Webster Equity Partners partnered with Memphis, Tenn.-based Gastro One. It made its first postformation transaction in December 2020, acquiring a pair of practices in Oxford, Miss., and Nashville, Tenn., and then made a pair of transactions in February and March. Michael Dragutsky, MD, chair of One GI, spoke to Becker’s ASC Review about the platform’s plan for aggressive growth.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is now recommended for average-risk individuals starting at age 45 years, according to the American College of Gastroenterology’s (ACG’s) updated guidelines. The starting age was previously 50 years except for Blacks, for whom the starting age was lowered to 45 years in 2005. The new guidance brings the ACG in line with recommendations of the American Cancer Society, which lowered the starting age to 45 years for average-risk individuals in 2018.
DALLAS, March 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — GI Alliance (“GIA”), one of the nation’s largest independent gastroenterology services organizations, today announced further expansion in Texas through a partnership with Austin Gastroenterology (“AG”). Founded in 2001, AG specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of gastrointestinal diseases and is committed to providing the best healthcare solutions available to patients in Central Texas and the greater Austin Area. AG has locations throughout Central Texas, including offices in Georgetown, Kyle, Marble Falls, and Bastrop.
Praveen Suthrum, President at NextServices interviews Chris Metz and Steve Somers from Gastrologix, a GPO (Group Purchasing Organization). What if you could own companies you spend money on? What if you could save money on routine purchases by getting bulk rates? With those ideas, Christopher Metz and Stephen Somers founded Gastrologix, a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO). Gastrologix is the first GI-specific GPO that works with independent gastroenterologists. Today, they count 75 GI practices in their growing network. Watch this interview to understand on-the-ground insights from a GI-specific GPO.