Becker's ASC Review

55 GASTROENTEROLOGY Pinnacle GI Partners adds another Michgian practice in 2nd postformation deal By Eric Oliver P innacle GI Partners has deepened its roots in Michi- gan, partnering with East Lansing, Mich.-based Digestive Health Institute, PE Hub reported Jan. 10. Digestive Health Institute also does business as Michigan Gastroenterology Institute, Capitol Colorectal Surgery and Greater Lansing Anesthesia Services. Pinnacle GI Partners, the largest GI provider in Michigan, now has a network of 24 physicians and 20 locations in the state. The financial terms of the deal were not provided. PE Hub reports that Michigan Gastroenterology Institute sought out a private equity partner for relief from the in- creasing cost and complications associated with running a healthcare practice. This is Pinnacle GI Partners second postformation deal. n Physicians Endoscopy partner develops, leads COVID-19 testing program By Eric Oliver B arry Kaufman, MD, of Egg Harbor Township, N.J.-based Atlantic Gastroenterology Associates, developed a COVID-19 testing program that has allowed his ASC to remain open and perform high pro- cedure volumes through the COVID-19 pandemic. After elective procedures were canceled in New Jersey, Dr. Kaufman invested early in COVID-19 swab testing and used his practice's partnership with Gen- esis Laboratory Management to set up on-site testing to resume elective procedures. Once the testing site was set up, Dr. Kaufman was in the parking lot of his ASC, ACCESS Surgery Center, screening and testing patients and staff for the virus to ensure procedures would be performed safely. Word of the program spread throughout the community, and his center soon became a community screening site. He hopes the increased awareness of the surgery center will encourage patients to seek out care for other ailments. Jamison, Pa.-based Physicians Endoscopy highlighted Dr. Kaufman's testing program in a Feb. 10 release. n San Diego VA allegedly removed extra tissue from patients for research without consent By Eric Oliver T he U.S. Office of Special Counsel revealed more details of an incident in which the Department of Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System allegedly collected liver tissue from patients without their consent. e Office of Special Counsel started investigating the alleged wrongdoings in 2016. e story was first reported on in 2018, and the government office released its subsequent report Feb. 10. Two whistleblowers told the office that the hospital's former chief of gastroenterology, Samuel Ho, MD, had patients undergo tran- sjugular liver biopsies to harvest liver tissue for a hepatitis-focused research study, according to a report by local CBS affiliate CBS8. e hospital conducted an internal investigation and determined the GI physician was in violation of research protocol and put pa- tients at increased risk for bleeding and pain, according to the Office of Special Counsel. However, the VA subsequently determined the procedures were the "standard of care." Before the hepatitis research-related collection began, the system did not perform any transjugular liver biopsies, the government report said. Henry Kerner, special counsel, said in the government's report: "e whistleblowers continue to provide consistent, clear support for their contention that transjugular biopsies were unnecessary for many of the patients in this study. e agency's determination, in light of the whistleblowers' evidence, remains unconvincing." e Office of Special Counsel wrote letters to President Joe Biden and Congress, stating the VA's investigation into the study didn't meet its standards. Mr. Kerner said, "I encourage the VA to consider additional critical review of the actions of the [researchers] during the lifecycle of the study." e VA released a statement Feb. 12, standing by its conclusion that the biopsies were the standard of care, CBS8 reported. e VA was participating in a $6 million international research project to find treatment for patients with alcoholic hepatitis, CBS8 reported. Researchers were supposed to collect leover liver tissue aer patients received biopsies to study. Twenty-two patients with alcoholic hepatitis enrolled in the study, and at least 37 other patients without hepatitis were supposed to serve as a comparison, but those cases oen had incomplete medi- cal records. e San Diego VA never terminated the study aer discovering major ethics and policy violations. e study concluded when fund- ing ran out in November 2018. No one was punished for their role in the research. Dr. Ho le the VA and took a job in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in mid-2018. n

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