Becker's ASC Review

46 GASTROENTEROLOGY Surgery trends all gastroenterologists should know By Patsy Newitt U nderstanding gastroenterological surgery trends in preoperative, intra- operative and postoperative care is critical for the long-term success of GIs and GI practices. Richard Hodin, MD, is chief of Massachu- setts General Hospital's Division of General and Gastrointestinal and the Division of Gastrointestinal and Oncologic Surgery. He spoke with Becker's ASC Review on trends in GI surgery that gastroenterologists should know. Preoperative care trends: Neoadjuvant Rx prior to GI cancer surgery is key. Years ago, we routinely took patients straight to surgery when they had a diagno- sis of cancer. en, aer surgery, some would get chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. is paradigm now is being adapted for many other GI cancers, including esopha- geal, pancreatic and stomach. We now understand that chemotherapy and radia- tion before surgery can be of great benefit, increasing the likelihood of getting clean margins in some cases and, in certain patients, the neoadjuvant treatment can turn an unresectable cancer into a resectable one. e nature of the surgery can be fundamen- tally changed for the better, in some cases avoiding the need for a permanent colos- tomy in some rectal cancer patients. Intraoperative care trends: Laparoscopic approaches are now utilized in a wide array of GI surgical procedures. More recently, robotic technology has been applied to some areas of surgery, especially when there are hard-to-reach sites. e advantages of the robotic approach are still not well-defined, and we have learned the hard way that some new approaches like this can be associated with increased compli- cations, especially early on. Something to keep an eye on in the future is the application of artificial intelligence to both teach young trainees how to do proce- dures but, even more importantly, to make surgery safer. Postoperative care trends: Home hospital programs are being devel- oped that allow for patients to return more quickly to their comfortable home environ- ment by utilizing resources from the hospital that can provide advanced care in the home setting. Some of this care can be provided through telemedicine approaches, and some require actual home visits. e result is better, more comfortable care for the patient while saving the high costs associated with hospital stays. We are now understanding that the tradi- tional outcome measures that we have used for years, such as standard surgical compli- cations and survival curves, are not enough. e true patient experience is much more complex. n Former Surgical Care Affiliates exec named Pinnacle GI Partners CEO By Alan Condon James Grant, MD, a former Surgical Care Affiliates executive, has been ap- pointed CEO of Troy, Mich.-based Pinnacle GI Partners. Four notes: 1. Dr. Grant is a healthcare executive with more than 15 years of experi- ence in strategy, operations and business development. 2. Prior to joining Pinnacle, he was a senior lead operator at Partners Group, a global investment manager, according to a May 25 news release. He focused on investments in healthcare businesses, including payer-pro- vider models, medical device products and physician practice manage- ment companies. 3. Dr. Grant also served as regional vice president at Surgical Care Affili- ates, principal at the Boston Consulting Group, and most recently, interim division president for ophthalmology at EyeCare Partners, managing the business during the COVID-19 pandemic. 4. Pinnacle GI Partners was formed in December 2020, when H.I.G. Growth Partners teamed with Rochester Hills, Mich.-based the Center for Digestive Health. The platform partners with gastroenterologists and colorectal surgeons to create a professional network of physicians special- izing in complete digestive health. n Gastro Health sold to private equity company By Patsy Newitt G astro Health was sold to private equity company Omers, accord- ing to a May 19 release. The transaction was expected to close in the second quarter of 2021. Miami- based Gastro Health previously was owned by Audax Private Equity, which acquired the company in 2016. While precise financial details of the transaction were not disclosed, PE Hub released a report in February that specu- lated Gastro Health to be worth $65 million in EBITDA. Gastro Health supports over 250 physi- cians in Alabama, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and Washington. n

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