Becker's ASC Review

33 GASTROENTEROLOGY 'We are going to need more physicians': What's scaring this gastroenterologist about medicine's future By Patsy Newitt Gastroenterology is seeing rapid changes, as colorectal cancer cases rise and the physician shortage intensifies. Benjamin Levy III, MD, gastroenterologist at University of Chicago Medicine, joined Becker's to discuss what is making him hopeful and what is making him skeptical about the future of medicine. Editor's note: is interview was edited lightly for clarity and length. Question: What makes you hopeful for the future of medicine? Why? Dr. Benjamin Levy: I am super excited about integrating artificial intelligence into medicine to help physicians write notes in real time during clinic visits. Soware such as Abridge, DeepScribe, Athelas and Freed is going to revolutionize medicine by allowing physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners to focus on patient conversations without typing. In addition, this innovative soware will help providers finish notes in the clinic and minimize pajama note writing/editing from home at night. ere are so many potential applications for artificial intelligence in medicine. AI technology is going to help us develop drugs faster and identify polyps during colonoscopies. Q: What scares you about the future of medicine? Why? BL: Hopefully, we can expand residency and fellowship programs in the United States to provide enough physicians to take care of the ballooning patient population in America. As the baby boomer generation ages, we are going to need more physicians. Also, because of the obesity epidemic, the U.S. patient population is going to need a lot more primary care physicians and medical specialists to take care of weight, diabetes and hepatic steatosis-related medical issues. As gastroenterologists, we have started screening patients for colorectal cancer at age 45. ere are approximately 19 million extra patients between the ages of 45 and 49 who now need to get screened to prevent colorectal cancer by removing polyps. Hopefully, we can increase the size and number of GI fellowship programs over time to meet this very important expanded need for patient care. e obesity epidemic also scares me because many patients nationally are going to develop diabetes, CAD (coronary artery disease), and MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis). Hopefully we can empower our patients to eat healthier and exercise more to prevent these weight-related issues. n How to create a 'symphony' in GI practice management By Francesca Mathewes Gastroenterology practices are faced with a spate of exciting innovations and consistent challenges. While technological developments have continued to open up possibilities in the specialty, rates of GI-related cancers continue to rise among young Americans, further exacerbating the pressures put on practices to perform under declining reimbursement rates, staffing shortages and rising inflation. GI organizations have also released new quality indicators for colonoscopies in an effort to catch cancers earlier and more accurately, adding another item to the juggling act that GI practices face daily. But for Shabail Mazumdar, MD, a gastroenterologist at Aurora Health Care in Menomonee Falls, Wis., the juggling act of economic and regulatory pressure can turn into a "symphony" of smooth practice operations — with the right team. "If you have a good culture where you recruit and retain good people, then you know, work becomes a walk in the park," Dr. Mazumdar told Becker's. "It's very important to have a very good culture of safety. All safety comes from good resources, good nurses, [technicians] and processes, and that equals good outcomes." "You have to demonstrate value," he added. He said that his current practice is a product of transitions into a larger system, and through those transitions, he has come away with a belief in the strength of solid leadership, open communication and a foundation in teamwork. "We have very high patient satisfaction rates, and I give the entire credit to our surgery center leadership," he said. "I strongly believe that if you have a very good cultural milieu, you have good supervisors, good leadership, good management in the surgery centers, then you recruit and retain people.... It's teamwork. What we do in GI is teamwork." Another aspect of this foundation in teamwork is creating a culture of "psychological safety" on staff, Dr. Mazumdar said, in which team members feel comfortable to bring issues and inefficiencies to leadership's attention and address them head-on. "We have that leadership and that culture that we call fast, focused, friendly and flexible. We have to communicate with each other with effortless ease," he said. By building a basis of operations steeped in teamwork and support, physicians can more effectively focus on achieving an outcome of "zero defects." "There has to be a personal commitment to good patient outcomes and good patient safety," he said. n

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