Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1491055
27 GASTROENTEROLOGY Gastro Health, GI Alliance and more: 33 industry updates in 2022 By Riz Hatton H ere are 33 moves from major gastroenterology groups that Becker's reported on in 2022: Capital Digestive Care • Capital Digestive Care opened a new laboratory, which is the first gastrointestinal specialty practice in the U.S. to be a Roche Diagnostics Center of Excellence. • Capital Digestive Care added Gastroenterology, Ltd. of Virginia Beach (Va.) to its network. Gastro Care Partners • Gastro Care Partners appointed Brooks Marshall as its senior vice president of business development. • Gastro Care Partners selected Douglas Adler, MD, as the next editor-in-chief of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. • Gastro Care Partners signed a multiyear deal to offer FujiFilm's endoscopy product portfolio throughout Gastro Care Partners' network. Gastro Health • Gastro Health finalized a partnership with Springfield Gastroenterology in Ohio. • Two Gastro Health ASCs made Newsweek's "America's Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers" list, which ranks 510 of the more than 5,000 Medicare-certified ASCs in the country. • Gastro Health finalized its acquisition of Charlottesville (Va.) Gastroenterology Associates. • Gastro Health added gastroenterologist and internal medicine physician Keith Moore, MD, to its network. • Gastro Health opened a Hygieacare center in Miami to prepare patients for colonoscopies. • Gastro Health added Annapolis, Md.- based Digestive Disorders Associates to its network. • Gastro Health selected Alan Oliver as the platform's new COO. • Gastro Health added Towson, Md.- based Goldberg, Rosenstein, Khan & Forman, MD, PA and Kennewick, Wash.-based Tri-Cities Endoscopy Center to its network. • Gastro Health completed a three- practice acquisition in Massachusetts. GI Alliance • Private equity firm Waud Capital Partners sold its controlling ownership stake in GI Alliance. • GI Alliance finalized its physician-led buyout facilitated by a $785 million investment from private equity firm Apollo Hybrid Value. • GI Alliance is leasing a 12,400-square- foot space to open a practice in Little Rock, Ark. • GI Alliance partnered with Digestive Health Specialists in Kansas City, Mo., entering the Kansas and Missouri markets. • GI Alliance partnered with Gastroenterology Consultants, expanding its presence in the Houston area. • A deal between GI Alliance and Austin (Texas) Gastroenterology was named "USA Deal of the Year" at the 13th annual America's M&A Atlas Awards. • GI Alliance and United Surgical Partners International formed a joint venture for two Texas endoscopy centers. What gastroenterology leaders are most excited about By Riz Hatton G astroenterology leaders are keeping their eyes on technological innovations as the field continues to evolve. Editor's note: Responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity. Austin Chiang, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Gastrointestinal at Medtronic: What excites me the most is that these [gastroenterology technologies] are truly disruptive technologies and keeping with the times. The internet, the digital age and seeing how that intersects with healthcare is very exciting and not something that I think people would've necessarily imagined several decades ago. Neal Kaushal, MD. Chief of Gastroenterology and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Adventist Health (Roseville, Calif.): I'm most excited about new developments in technology, data and analytics, which are increasingly essential tools in operating successful ASCs. In addition to providing safe, quality clinical care, ASCs are most effective when running efficiently and driving revenue generation. To accomplish this, however, is no easy task. That is why leveraging resources and even third-party companies to optimize ASC performance is such a fascinating up-and- coming industry. Bill Snyder. CEO of Vivante Health: There's a couple that I think are really exciting. There's some really unique innovations in general when I think about things like capsule endoscopies and [artificial intelligence]-based precision medicine. So using AI in the endoscopy process to identify polyps more accurately. Those are some things that I see in the market that I'm familiar with that are being utilized more and more. n