In recent years, we have seen a growing trend of large corporations acquiring primary care clinics. Earlier this month, the New York Times published an article entitled “Corporate Giants Buy Up Primary Care Practices at Rapid Pace.” While the title may accurately capture the pattern at the surface level, the article does not provide the full context and nuance needed to deeply understand this trend and its implications. Health plans, private equity firms, and retailers are absolutely racing to buy up physician practices. But the rise in ownership isn’t a guaranteed success — nor is it a guaranteed failure for the industry.
Author: Rutali Thakur
G&H What has recent research revealed about the rise in esophageal adenocarcinoma despite screening and surveillance for Barrett esophagus? AC Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has been increasing for several decades, and no one understands exactly what changed in our environment to cause the rise. There are etiologies one can speculate on. Obesity has increased and along with it, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has increased, although neither risk factor can entirely explain the rise in incidence. Obesity and GERD are known independent risk factors for EAC, but the odds ratios would only explain a fraction of the increasing incidence. We do not know what…
Though much of Freenome’s focus has been on its blood test for the early detection of colorectal cancer, the company is also in the process of building out its multiomics platform to be able to test for other types of cancer, too. A new acquisition aims to accelerate the latter goal. Freenome put down 13 million British pounds—or about $16.1 million—to absorb Oncimmune Limited and Oncimmune Europe GmbH, two subsidiaries of U.K.-based Oncimmune, another maker of early cancer diagnostics.
When we reflect on the overall impact of colorectal cancer screening over the past two decades, we see the result of a collaboration of physicians and organizations who joined forces to work toward one of our great public health successes. Though physicians have worked with scientists, public health professionals, professional organizations, advocacy groups and cancer survivors to make significant strides in CRC screening, this success story is still a work in progress. As pointed out in the cover story, there exist areas of disparity in screening and outcomes as well as a disturbing trend of rising incidence in younger adults.
When gastroenterologists learned in March that UnitedHealthcare plans to barricade many colonoscopies behind a controversial and complicated process known as prior authorization, their emotions cycled rapidly between fear, shock, and outrage. The change, which the health insurer will implement on June 1, means that any United member seeking surveillance and diagnostic colonoscopies to detect cancer will first need approval from United — or else have to pay out of pocket.
Hillsboro, Ohio-based Highland District Hospital has expanded its gastroenterology services through the addition of three Gastro Health physicians: Daniel Debo, DO; Andrew Chun, MD; and Robert Kindel, MD, according to a May 15 report from the hospital published in The Highland County Press.
Envision Healthcare has reached a restructuring agreement with its stakeholders, including ASC management center AmSurg, after announcing plans to file for bankruptcy. AmSurg plans to purchase the ASCs held by Envision. Here are six things to know about management giant AmSurg, according to its website: 1. AmSurg launched as an ASC management services company in 1992. 2. AmSurg has a network of more than 2,000 physician partners and 255 facilities across 34 states and Washington, D.C.
Abstract: The use of combination therapy with a biologic agent and immunosuppressant has well-established efficacy and safety and is common practice in the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Current research has shifted focus toward the use of advanced combination treatment (ACT). This term was coined to describe combination therapy using 2 or more advanced treatments (biologic agents and/or oral small molecule drugs) with the aim of achieving optimal disease control in selected patients. An ACT approach may be particularly beneficial in patients with documented medically refractory IBD and in patients with a poor prognosis, extraintestinal manifestations, or concomitant immune-mediated inflammatory…
First-degree relatives of people with advanced adenomas have an increased risk for colorectal cancer, yet this risk often is unrecognized and appropriate screening often ignored. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco attempted to change this scenario, and their intervention shows signs of paying off. “We saw an untapped opportunity to intervene early and intensively at the time of colonoscopy of the index family member. … Our quality improvement interventions led to a 73% improvement in the rate of appropriate guideline-based CRC screening recommendations for high-risk individuals,” said Alec Faggen, MD, a third-year gastroenterology fellow at the UCSF School…
More than 70% of U.S. adults feel the health care system is failing to meet their needs in at least one way, according to new data from the Harris Poll, shared exclusively with TIME. Despite spending more money per capita on health care than any other wealthy country in the world, the U.S. struggles to match other nations in life expectancy and other health outcomes. The new Harris Poll survey, which was conducted from February to March 2023 and commissioned by the American Academy of Physician Associates, shows that patient satisfaction is also suffering due to the high costs, inaccessibility, and confusing logistics of U.S. medical…