DALLAS, June 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — GI Alliance, the nation’s premier gastroenterology management organization, is excited to announce a partnership with Digestive Health Consultants, expanding GI Alliance’s presence in Washington. Founded in 1982, Digestive Health Consultants is a six-provider group, which includes five physicians and one advanced practice provider. The practice is committed to providing the highest level of GI medical care to patients in Silverdale and surrounding communities. Digestive Health Consultants joins GI Alliance’s existing Washington-based practice, Washington Gastroenterology (WAGI), bringing the total physician count to thirty-eight in Washington.
Author: Rutali Thakur
Key takeaways: Compared with reoffering colonoscopy and fecal immunochemical test alone, offering a blood test as a secondary option resulted in a nearly twofold increase in colorectal cancer screening in veterans who had declined first-line screening.
About 20 percent of gastroenterologists have had their income impacted by nonphysician practitioners this year, according to Medscape’s 2023 “Gastroenterologist Compensation Report,” published on May 24. Competition impacting gastroenterologists this year: 1. Nonphysician practitioners (physicians assistants, nurse practitioners, naturopaths and chiropractors): 20 percent
Explore the issue, featuring a new joint Guideline on pharmacologics in chronic constipation, long-term outcomes of biological therapy in Crohn’s disease, terlipressin use in HRS-AKI, kiwis for constipation & more.
G&H What is the current state of diversity, equity, and inclusion in endoscopy? JC When looking at gender diversity as well as racial or ethnic diversity, the gastroenterology (GI) community has made some strides; however, we still have quite a way to go. Currently, 18% to 19% of practicing gastroenterologists in the United States are women and only about 13% of fellows in advanced endoscopy fellowship programs are women. According to data on racial diversity of the physician workforce from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), only 9% of academic GI faculty in the United States identify as underrepresented in medicine…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a Class 2 device recall on Olympus single-use distal covers for duodenoscopes. The recall was posted to an FDA database May 19, though recall notification letters sent to customers were dated April 23. It instructs customers to “immediately locate and no longer use” the original design of model MAJ-2315. “Correct application and inspection of the distal cover before the procedure is critical,” the letter also states. “In addition, inspection of the distal end after the procedure is also important.”
June 1 (Reuters) – Coherus BioSciences Inc (CHRS.O) said on Thursday it plans to launch a biosimilar of AbbVie Inc’s (ABBV.N) Humira in July at a list price of $995 per carton, representing a discount of about 85% from the blockbuster arthritis drug. The annual cost of the biosimilar, branded as Yusimry, will be around $13,000, compared with $90,000 for Humira, Coherus said. Coherus has also partnered with Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban’s pharmaceuticals startup to sell the biosimilar at $569.27 plus dispensing and shipping fees. The Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company provides generic drugs through direct contracts with manufacturers and charges a standard…
Abstract Background and aims The cause of Crohn’s Disease (CD) is unknown, but the current hypothesis is that microbial or environmental factors induce gut inflammation in genetically susceptible individuals, leading to chronic intestinal inflammation. Case-control studies of CD patients have catalogued alterations in the gut microbiome composition; however, these studies fail to distinguish if the altered gut microbiome composition is associated with initiation of CD or is the result of inflammation or drug treatment.
UnitedHealth is backing off a controversial plan to require prior authorizations for colonoscopies and other endoscopic procedures. But the debate over insurer sign-offs that it stoked will likely linger. Why it matters: While prior authorizations are supposed to ensure that health services are medically necessary, critics say they can create barriers to care and drown the health system in red tape. Driving the news: UnitedHealth, the biggest commercial health insurer in the U.S., planned today to start requiring prior authorizations for most endoscopic procedures, including some to treat cancer and gastrointestinal diseases.
Gastroenterologists’ average annual income rose from $453,000 in 2021 to $501,000 in 2022 — an increase of 11%, second only to oncologists’ 13% bump, according to the 2023 Medscape Gastroenterologist Compensation Report. In terms of 2022 income, gastroenterologists finished fifth among the 29 specialties in the Medscape survey of more than 10,000 physicians. The top earners were plastic surgeons ($619,000), orthopedists ($573,000), cardiologists ($507,000), and urologists ($506,000). For employed physicians, compensation figures include salary, bonus, and profit-sharing contributions. For self-employed physicians, they include earnings after taxes and deductible business expenses before income tax. Only full-time salaries were included in the results.