In this exclusive video, Monia Werlang, MD, discusses the role gastroenterologists have in identifying and treating patients with eating disorders. It is critical for gastroenterologists to be well-versed and understand how to address eating disorders due to the prevalence of these conditions among patients with GI conditions, Werlang, of the department of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, said.
Author: Praveen Suthrum
Exact Sciences tests 4 million people. Earns $1.5 billion15 Takeaways from Exact Sciences quarterly earnings call Last week, Exact Sciences, announced their fourth quarter results. Here are 15 takeaways from their earnings call. Let’s start with some numbers: ◘ Total revenue was $466.3 million in Q4 2020 (compare that to $295.6 million in Q4 2019 and $408.4 million in Q3 2020) ◘ Screening revenue was $249.7 million, an increase of 9% driven by Cologuard volume growth (compare that to $214.6 million in Q3, 2020)
In an exclusive video, Healio Gastroenterology spoke with Brian Dooreck, MD, of Gastrointestinal Diagnostic Centers in Pembroke Pines, Fla., about the colorectal cancer provider outreach program, or CRC POP. “[Giving] patients the instruction, the direction, the reassurance is what this program about,” he said. Dooreck and colleagues began CRC POP about 6 months ago when they realized patients were being told they had CRC right after surgery or any procedure, but they were not being told they had help and support. The initiative’s goal is to help the approximately 14,000 gastroenterology (GI) providers and their audience includes 150,000 CRC patients diagnosed every year.
Outpatient treatment of diverticulitis with amoxicillin-clavulanate is as effective as treatment with metronidazole plus a fluoroquinolone, according to a study published online February 22 February 22 in Annals of Internal Medicine. This less commonly used treatment “has the potential to reduce the risk for fluoroquinolone-related harms, including Clostridioides difficile infection [CDI], without adversely affecting diverticulitis outcomes,” study author Anne F. Peery, MD, MSCR, told Medscape Medical News.
While endoscopic-related injuries are common among physicians in gastroenterology, men and women report differences in injury sites and contributing mechanisms, according to study results. Swati Pawa, MD, from the section of gastroenterology and hepatology at Wake Forest School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote it is unclear how aware practicing GIs are about ergonomic concepts in endoscopy or how many are incorporating them into their practice.
Before adjourning for the year in December, Congress passed the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act. After years of legislative advocacy by the American College of Gastroenterology, along with partners from the GI community, American Cancer Society and patient advocates, this legislation fixes a quirk in Medicare law that required beneficiaries to cover a 20% coinsurance payment if a polyp was found and removed during a screening colonoscopy. Under the law, however, the coinsurance was waived if no polyp was found during the procedure.
Self-employed gastroenterologists routinely outearn their employed counterparts across the U.S. Here are 30 stats on median annual GI salary by practice setting and experience range, per Medscape’s physician salary explorer: AtlantaEmployed:1 to 7 years: $337,1328 to 14 years: $393,23615 to 21 years: $425,338 Self-employed:1 to 7 years: $449,1508 to 14 years: $492,26615 to 21 years: $506,894
Google and Ascension are continuing the collaboration they began in 2018 by rolling out a tool to help clinicians better organize and search for patient information, the St. Louis-based health system announced Feb. 23. In 2018, Google and Ascension collaborated to create an accessible and searchable interface that shows clinicians a complete clinical history for each patient. Recognizing that EHR systems often organize clinical information in fragmented ways, the collaboration seeks to present information in a more comprehensive and contextualized manner.
Gastroenterologists should feel comfortable educating patients that appropriate steps are being taken to ensure the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, according to a report published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. “There were no shortcuts in COVID-19 vaccine development and providers should be familiar with vaccine approval and development, that way they feel comfortable educating patients and addressing their concerns,” Freddy Caldera, DO, MS, from the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, told Healio Gastroenterology.
Elective surgeries are returning in Rochester, N.Y., almost a month after such procedures were allowed to resume in some areas of the state, Spectrum Local News reported Feb. 22. Surgery Center at Sawgrass and University of Rochester Medical Center each said they resumed elective surgical procedures last week. The surgery center has returned to full strength with a normal operating schedule. URMC said Feb. 22 that it was treating 116 COVID-19 positive patients, with 39 of them in the ICU.