Patient Needs, Medicare Rules Continue to Shift Specialties with the biggest increases in compensation include oncology, anesthesiology, gastroenterology, radiology, critical care, and urology. Many procedure-related specialties saw more volume post pandemic. Some respondents identified Medicare cuts and low reimbursement rates as a factor in tamping down compensation hikes. The number of physicians who expect to continue to take new Medicare patients is 65%, down from 71% 5 years ago. For example, Medicare reimbursements for telehealth are expected to scale down in May, when the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, which expanded telehealth services for Medicare patients, winds down. “Telehealth will still…
Author: Rutali Thakur
Last December, in Upper Darby, an 85,000-person suburban community outside of Philadelphia, many residents, when they entered “hospital” into their map app and rushed to their local hospital to seek urgent medical care, found that the emergency room—and indeed the entire Delaware County Memorial facility—had closed. Far from unique, this story is horrifyingly familiar. Why? Private equity—that is, investor groups that operate outside of the stock market, thus being largely shielded from public investor scrutiny—plays a leading role. Understanding the role private equity is playing in health care is critical; only then can we begin to design solutions to the…
There are many over-the-counter probiotic food additions that one can eat, and now the FDA has approved the first oral microbiome to be used as a therapeutic. The agency has greenlighted Seres Therapeutics’ live microbiome capsule Vowst, previously coded SER-109, to prevent recurrence of Clostridioides difficile infection, a potentially deadly disease. While antibiotics are mostly effective at knocking back C. difficile, they also disrupt the gut microbiome ecosystem. For its part, Vowst introduces purified Firmicutes spores, a type of “good” microbiome, to outcompete C. difficile and therefore restore gut health.
Bethesda, MD (April 25, 2023) — The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is proud to announce the 71 recipients selected to receive research funding through its annual AGA Research Foundation Awards Program. The program serves as a catalyst for discovery and career growth among the most promising researchers in gastroenterology and hepatology. “This year’s recipients are determined to make an impact on digestive health care through their research,” said Michael Camilleri, MD, AGAF, chair, AGA Research Foundation. “We are honored to support these talented individuals at a critical stage in their careers and research projects. We look forward to seeing their great accomplishments.”
New gastroenterology therapies and procedures come to light every year, but their receptions vary. Abhishek Gulati, MD, chief of gastroenterology at Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno, Calif., connected with Becker’s to discuss the future of minimally invasive gastroenterology procedures. Note: This response has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Question: How do you think minimally invasive gastroenterology procedures will progress in the future?Dr. Abhishek Gulati: If you look back at the history of endoscopy as to how the colonoscopy became such a big procedure with millions of them being performed every year, [you see] they became [big] over…
DENVER—As artificial intelligence continues to advance and reshape healthcare in many ways, it is crucial that healthcare professionals take a proactive approach to guide patients toward trustworthy and reliable AI solutions, stressed Ryan Stidham, MD, MS, in a keynote lecture at the 2023 Crohn’s and Colitis Congress. While he emphasized the potential benefits of AI in patient care, he also highlighted the need for preparation and vigilance in its implementation. “We need to proactively prevent patients from using low-quality AI and guide them towards AI that has been approved and vetted by reputable organizations,” said Dr. Stidham, an associate professor…
NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — One GI®, the leading network of independent gastroenterology practices, announces its partnership with TransSouth, one of West Tennessee’s long-standing independent gastroenterology practices. This strategic move further supports One GI’s mission of expanding and improving access to independent gastroenterology care throughout the Eastern US. As part of the One GI® network, TransSouth, with its 35+ year reputation for providing exceptional patient care and award-winning diagnostic and treatment facilities, will continue its commitment to excellence while benefitting from the resources and collaborative expertise of the broader One GI® community.
There are 15,678 active gastroenterologists in the country, according to the Association of American Medical College’s “2022 Physician Specialty Data Report.” The report is based on data from the American Medical Association, the Census Bureau, and a national resident database and tracking system. Overall, it covers about 950,000 physicians and physicians-in-training among 48 of the largest specialties in 2021, according to a Jan. 12 AAMC news release. Here are four more stats on the gastroenterology workforce to know: 1. A total of 12,576 gastroenterologists (80.3 percent) are men and 3,083 (19.7 percent) are women.
EL PASO, Texas –University Medical Center of El Paso’s (UMC) Digestive Health Center has implemented the use of the region’s first artificial intelligence (AI) endoscopy module called the GI GeniusTM. This computer-aided polyp detection system is powered by AI to find colorectal polyps during a colonoscopy screening. Having this technology available to our patients is a huge step in identifying suspicious lesions, which could be an indicator of colorectal cancer. Approximately 4.1 percent of men and women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer at some point during their lifetime, based on data from the National Cancer Institute.…
It is estimated as much as 40% of the world could be affected by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), among whom some are at risk for the progressive form nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The ever-growing incidence of NAFLD has corresponded with the development of several therapeutic agents meant to treat it, none of which have yet been approved. In fact, most of these investigational products do not progress to phase 3 trials, failing to achieve the endpoints approved by regulatory agencies. To better understand what has hindered the development of treatments in this disease space, Medscape contributor Nancy S. Reau, MD, chief of…