Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTRA), a global leader in cell-free DNA and precision medicine, today announced that Signatera has received regulatory approval from Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA). This approval supports the use of Signatera for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) in the adjuvant setting and makes Signatera the first PMDA-approved MRD test in Japan. Natera expects to commercially launch Signatera for CRC in Japan by the end of 2026, subject to final pricing determination. More than 150,000 people are diagnosed with CRC in Japan each year,1 making it one of the country’s most common cancers. This disease burden is comparable…
Author: Rutali Thakur
How GI Becomes the Coordinator of Digestive Health By Dr. Charles Accurso and Praveen Suthrum At the end of the last chapter, we arrived at a larger question. If a GI practice strengthens access, improves recalls, protects referral relationships, activates existing assets, and builds the leadership capacity to keep its head out of the boat, what comes next? Access to what? More procedures? More office visits? More ancillary revenue? More referrals? Those matter. But if GI stops there, it misses the deeper opportunity. The next stage of gastroenterology will not be defined only by how many procedures a practice performs.…
Why Trust, Access, and Relationships Drive GI Growth By Dr. Charles Accurso and Praveen Suthrum Imagine two GI practices in the same market. Both have good physicians. Both perform high-quality procedures. Both have access to an ambulatory surgery center. Both participate in pathology and anesthesia. Both are clinically competent. From the outside, they may look similar. Ten years later, one is thriving and the other is struggling. The difference is not simply technology. It is not private equity. It is not marketing. It is not even the ASC. The difference is that one practice understood something the other did not:…
Artificial intelligence adoption is accelerating rapidly across healthcare, with a new survey finding that nearly three-quarters of physicians and 70% of nurses now use AI at least once a week at work—up sharply from 38% and 46%, respectively, just one year ago. Clinicians are increasingly using AI for tasks such as summarizing medical literature, analyzing data, and generating clinical documentation through AI scribes. Patients are also embracing the technology, with many using AI to better understand diagnoses, medications, and test results. Yet the survey reveals a growing tension: while AI is helping address workforce pressures and administrative burdens, clinicians worry…
Despite earning an average of $530,000 in 2025, many gastroenterologists feel their compensation does not reflect the demands of the specialty, according to Medscape’s 2026 Gastroenterologist Compensation Report. Nearly half (46%) said they are not fairly compensated, while 61% believe gastroenterologists are underpaid overall. The survey also found that most physicians either did not negotiate aggressively or had no opportunity to negotiate their contracts, highlighting a perceived gap between compensation levels and the workload, complexity, and pressures associated with GI practice.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) has reaffirmed that average-risk adults should begin colorectal cancer screening at age 45 and continue through age 75, while incorporating newly approved stool-based and blood-based screening technologies into its updated guidance. The ACS continues to favor stool-based tests, including next-generation stool DNA and stool RNA assays, citing their strong ability to detect colorectal cancer and precancerous lesions. In contrast, blood-based screening tests demonstrated lower sensitivity for early-stage cancers and advanced precancerous lesions and are recommended primarily for individuals who decline or do not complete preferred screening options. Importantly, the guideline reinforces that screening participation matters…
Despite growing adoption of stool- and blood-based colorectal cancer screening tests, GI leaders say colonoscopy demand continues to rise, particularly in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). In fact, many believe noninvasive screening is expanding the screening funnel rather than replacing colonoscopy. Industry experts note that positive results from at-home screening tests still require follow-up colonoscopy, while rising colorectal cancer rates in younger adults are driving greater screening awareness and procedure volumes. Nearly 60% of endoscopic colorectal procedures are now performed in ASCs, which handled almost 9 million procedures in 2024, a 50% increase since 2018. The article reinforces a growing consensus…
The American College of Physicians (ACP) is calling for stronger oversight of private equity in healthcare, warning that the industry’s focus on short-term returns may conflict with long-term patient care, physician autonomy, and practice sustainability. The position paper notes that private equity acquisitions of physician practices increased more than sixfold between 2012 and 2021, with gastroenterology ranking among the most targeted specialties, accounting for 120 acquisitions. ACP cites evidence linking private equity ownership to higher healthcare costs, reduced physician autonomy, increased use of nonphysician providers, and no consistent improvements in quality outcomes. While acknowledging that private equity can provide capital,…
Following the release of Chapter 1 of GI 2.0: The Playbook, several gastroenterology leaders shared thoughtful reactions on the future of procedures, AI, value-based care, and the evolving role of GI practices. Interestingly, many of the themes emerging today — including care delivery transformation, technology adoption, and evolving GI practice models — were already being discussed nearly two decades ago in an AGA Institute Future Trends Report published in 2006. What feels new today may actually represent the acceleration of longer-term structural shifts within gastroenterology. While perspectives differed, several common themes emerged repeatedly: The insights below are drawn from private…
Iterative Health has raised $77 million in a Series C funding round to expand its AI-powered clinical research network. The company focuses on improving clinical trial execution by embedding research directly into clinical care, using centralized operations, AI technology, and a global network of over 100 research sites. Its model has shown faster site activation and higher patient enrollment rates compared to industry benchmarks. The new funding will support expansion beyond gastroenterology into areas like cardiology and obesity, as well as further geographic growth and partnerships with healthcare providers and research organizations.