Medicare payments for physician services were, on average, $114,000 per doctor per year higher when billed by a hospital than when billed by an independent physician practice, found a study of Medicare claims data from 2010-2016 in Health Services Research . According to the study by Brady Post, PhD, Edward C. Norton, PhD, and colleagues, Medicare revenue for outpatient services billed by physician offices would have been 80% higher if they had been billed by a hospital outpatient department (HOPD). The average bundle of Medicare services performed annually by “unintegrated” physicians (ie, those not employed directly or indirectly by a hospital) was…
Author: Praveen Suthrum
Memphis, Tenn.-based One GI acquired Tupelo, Miss.-based Digestive Health Specialists, its second acquisition in four days, the platform announced March 2. Formed in 1999, Digestive Health Specialists is the largest independent gastroenterology provider in Tupelo. The practice has 10 physicians and four advanced practice providers. Michael Dragutsky, MD, One GI’s chair, said: “We’re excited to be joining forces with DHS and continue to extend our reach throughout our home states of Tennessee and Mississippi. DHS has an excellent clinical reputation and are a great addition to One GI. We’re thrilled to continue our growth throughout Mississippi.”
Digital healthcare provider Oshi Health built its model for virtual-first gastrointestinal (GI) care on extensive clinical evidence for more effective, convenient, high-touch, and coordinated patient care. This model is now being evaluated in a prospective, pragmatic clinical trial in a large commercially insured population. The year-long study is in partnership with a major national health plan that recognizes three critical factors that drive urgency for redesigning GI care delivery: Large population: Approximately one in five adults in the U.S. is diagnosed with a GI condition, including Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) — the second leading cause of workplace absenteeism, after the…
Miami-based Gastro Health partnered with Digestive Disease Associates, growing its platform to a sixth state, it announced March 1. Founded in 1996, Digestive Disease Associates has two Maryland locations in Catonsville and Columbia. The partnership includes the group’s endoscopy center and two infusion clinics. The practice has 15 gastroenterologists, two anesthesiologists, two pathologists, three nurse practitioners and four CRNAs. Two of Digestive Disease Associates’ leaders will hold leadership roles with Gastro Health. Kester Crosse, MD, will serve as Gastro Health’s vice president of clinical affairs for Maryland, and Tim Lynch will serve as division vice president of Maryland.
Memphis, Tenn.-based One GI added Dayton (Ohio) Gastroenterology. Dayton Gastroenterology represents a merger of three legacy groups and is the second largest independent GI practice in the state, according to a Feb. 26 news release. It has 26 physicians, 10 advanced practice providers, four sites of care and three endoscopy centers. “We’re thrilled to welcome Dayton Gastro and continue our strategic expansion throughout the region,” said Michael Dragutsky, MD, chair of One GI. “Ohio is an exciting opportunity, and we are looking forward to continuing our growth within the state.”
The COVID-19 pandemic affected gastroenterologists in a number of ways, according to Medscape’s “Gastroenterologist Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2021.” Medscape surveyed 12,339 physicians in more than 29 specialties from Aug. 30, 2020, through Nov. 5, 2020. Here are five insights related to GI happiness and physician burnout: 1. Eighty-one percent of GIs said they were happiest outside of work before the pandemic. The pandemic changed that, and now only 54 percent of gastroenterologists said they were happiest outside of work.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated several trends Miami-based Gastro Health was implementing and has left a permanent mark on how it will operate going forward. Eugenio Hernandez, MD, Gastro Health’s vice president of clinical affairs for Florida, shared insights into how the platform dealt with the pandemic and what changes have left a lasting mark on the practice. Question: How has your practice changed a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began? Dr. Eugenio Hernandez: COVID-19 undoubtedly changed our practice. In many ways, COVID-19 accelerated some of the initiatives that our organization had already been developing and prioritizing.
In 2016, Audux Private Equity became the first PE fund to invest in gastroenterology. Today, 48 private equity transactions have occurred in the field. Gut Talk host Sameer Berry, MD, spoke with Praveen Suthrum, co-founder and president of NextServices and author of Scope Forward, about the current landscape of private equity in gastroenterology and points to consider when evaluating private equity.
Few ever see this side of cancer care. Our cameras go behind the scenes as a surgical oncologist faces a crucial moment in the OR in this first episode of a new video series, The Oncologists.
VENTURA, Calif., Feb. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — On Jan. 14, 2021, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reconsidered the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin as a possible treatment for COVID-19. Ventura Clinical Trials, owned and operated by Dr. Sabine Hazan, is one of the institutions researching Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine—with remarkable success. Dr. Stanley Frochtzwajg, the chief medical officer with Community Memorial Health System that operates Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, Ojai Valley Hospital and numerous clinics across the California county is one of Dr. Hazan’s patients. Dr. Frochtzwaig tested positive for COVID-19 last month. Following Hazan’s protocol which includes a combination therapy and formulated (made in America)…