Becker's ASC Review

19 GASTROENTEROLOGY GI Alliance partners with 3 Rhode Island practices By Claire Wallace G astroenterology management organization GI Alliance has partnered with three practices in Rhode Island, further expanding its presence in the Northeast. GI Alliance has partnered with Providence-based University Gastroenterology, Providence-based Gastroenterology Associates and Cranston-based Gastrointestinal Medicine Associates, according to a Jan. 23 press release. Patients across the three practices will have expanded access to healthcare and ancillary services including pathology, anesthesia, infusion and clinical research. Rhode Island marks the 16th state that GI Alliance has a presence in. n Gastroenterologist burnout on the decline By Claire Wallace G astroenterologist burnout has declined 2% in the last year, according to Medscape's 2024 "Physician Burnout and Depression Report,"published Jan. 24. While 50% of GI specialists reported feeling burned out in the last year, 52% reported burnout the year prior. Gastroenterology still ranked as the fourth most burnt- out specialty in 2024, tied with anesthesiology, internal medicine and pulmonary medicine. Physician burnout overall also fell in the last year, dropping from 53% to 49%. n Allied Digestive Health partners with Provation By Amelia Ickes W est Long Branch, N.J.-based gastroenterology group Allied Digestive Health has partnered with Provation, a software company that focuses on clinical productivity and workflow automation. Through this agreement, ADH gains access to Provation's cloud-based procedure documentation and charting solutions, according to a Jan. 18 news release. This technology will be available to ADH's over 150 board- certified gastroenterologists across more than 30 office- based surgery and ambulatory surgery center facilities. Provation's Apex procedure documentation and patient charting program will allow physicians and nurses to document patient visits and procedures across any internet- enabled device in their practice, the release said. n Gastroenterology's reimbursement problem By Riz Hatton L ow reimbursement rates have plagued gastroenterology for years. Here's what gastroenterologists have to say about how it's affecting the field. Note: ese responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity. Vivek Kaul, MD. Segal-Watson Professor of Medicine in the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Division at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center: ere is the well-known issue of decreasing reimbursement over time for procedures that already have existing CPT codes, and that too in the face of the post-pandemic increased demand, higher costs of doing business and staffing issues. In addition, a real challenge we are facing is the inability to get reimbursed for a host of relatively newer (but well established) endoscopic procedures that have emerged in the last decade or so. Oentimes, these are minimally invasive, transformational interventions for our patients that help reduce morbidity, length of stay and overall healthcare costs but are poorly reimbursed or not reimbursed at all, in some cases. Benjamin Levy III, MD. Gastroenterologist at University of Chicago Medicine: [Decreased reimbursements are] concerning because GI practices and endoscopy centers and hospitals require so many staff to take care of our patients. ere's a cost to have nurses, anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists or CRNAs, and people that process insurance. So anytime we talk about decreased reimbursements, that puts a squeeze on the amount of money that's coming in to pay for all this required staff in order to do our job the best possible way that we can. Pankaj Vashi, MD. Department Head of Gastroenterology and Nutrition at City of Hope Chicago (Zion, Ill.): My major concern regarding procedure reimbursement is continued increase in costs of doing procedures and denials from payers with decreasing payments, especially by government payers. e only way ASCs can survive is by increasing efficiency and volume and maintaining quality care. n

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