Becker's ASC Review

64 HEALTHCARE NEWS Ohio hospital expands orthopedic and sports medicine services By Alan Condon F airfield (Ohio) Hospital, as part of Cincinnati-based Mercy Health, is set to open its renovated Outpatient Rehabilitation and erapy center at the end of the month, the Cincinnati Business Courier reports. Four insights: 1. e new facility provides care for a range of services including orthopedic, sports medicine and neuro rehab among others. 2. e expansion added 5,536 square feet to the facility, which now stands at 33,561 square feet. 3. e Fairfield Hospital Auxiliary covered $71,000 of the $93,000 cost. 4. Orthopedic and sports medicine physicians with Mercy Health, James Abbott, MD, and omas Lindenfeld, MD, will open the facility with a speech at a cocktail reception on July 29. n 5 biggest GI trends in 2019 — Private equity, salaries, cancer rates & more By Eric Oliver A s the dog days of summer inch ever closer, here are some of the biggest stories and trends that have defined gastroenterology through the first half 2019. Rising worldwide colorectal cancer mortality rates While CRC rates are decreasing in certain countries — the U.S. included — worldwide colon and rectal cancer- associated mortality rates are expected to increase by 60 percent and 71.5 percent, respectively by 2035, accord- ing to World Health Organization data. Emerging alternatives to colonoscopy While colonoscopy continues to reign supreme in the U.S. among CRC screening methods, emerging noninvasive DNA-based, fecal-based or even blood-based alterna- tives are attempting to make the screening process a more pleasant one for patients. While concerns continue to follow some tests like Exact Sciences' DNA-based test Cologuard, the test is inarguably one of the most popular alternative options in the market today. Burnout and depression Burnout rates continue to increase across all specialties, but in gastroenterology rates are particularly high. In Medscape's Gastroenterologist Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2019, 22 percent of gastroenterologists said they were happy at work, the fourth lowest of any specialty, and 45 percent reported being burned out. Money is everywhere Gastroenterologists are making hospitals more money than ever before, and their own pay rates continue to increase. In Merritt Hawkins' 2019 Physician Inpatient/ Outpatient Revenue Survey, gastroenterologists gener- ated an average net revenue of $2,965,277 in 2019, up from $1,422,677 reported in the 2016 survey. Gastroen- terologists reported having the seventh-highest salary — $417,000 — in Medscape's Physician Compensation Report 2019. PE activity ramps up Gastroenterology practices, too, are becoming more attractive acquisition targets for private equity firms. To date, four GI groups have closed transactions, while the first group to take on a PE partner — Miami-based Gastro Health — expanded out of its home market. n Covenant Surgical continues acquisition spree with Arizona GI practice By Eric Oliver C ovenant Surgical Partners entered into a partnership with Phoenix-based Arizona Centers for Digestive Health, adding 11 practices to its portfolio. What you should know: 1. AZCDH is the state's leading gastrointestinal care provider. The practice's staff of 17 physicians and 11 physician assistants and nurse practitioners provide care to more than 52,000 patients annually. 2. AZCDH also has two ASCs. Nashville, Tenn.-based Covenant seeks out practices with established ASCs as acquisition targets. 3. AZCDH was notably the first group in the U.S. to perform outpa- tient endoscopic ultrasounds in the standalone ASC setting. 4. Through the partnership, Covenant will expand AZCDH's pres- ence in Arizona while advancing its services and technologies. The support and operational resources that Covenant is going to provide will enable us to dedicate even more time and expertise toward delivering patient care and increasing access to services throughout Arizona," said James Bachman, AZCDH CEO. n

• Cover