Becker's ASC Review

16 GASTROENTEROLOGY Colonoscopy screening age should remain at 45: Study By Francesca Mathewes A single-center study published in JAMA supported recent recommendations that the age of colorectal cancer screening age be lowered to 45, Medpage Today reported June 3. e study, conducted by researchers Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Pleasanton, investigated colorectal neoplasia yields at screening colonoscopies among adults ages 45-49 and 50-54 within the health system. Here are six takeaways from the study: 1. Screening colonoscopy outcomes were slightly less common in people ages 45-49 years old compared with those ages 50-54 years old. 2. However, only the risk for adenoma was significantly lower in the younger group, at 35.4% in the younger group versus 40.8% in the older one. 3. None of the other colonoscopy findings, including advanced adenoma, advanced serrated lesion, sessile serrated lesion or CRC, showed significant differences between the two groups. 4. ere were also no significant differences in neoplasia prevalence between the age groups or between sexes. 5. e lack of significant difference in detection rates between ages suggests that there is no need to reduce adenoma or sessile serrated lesion detection rate benchmarks because of the introduction of younger patients into the screening pool, Jeffrey Lee, MD, one of the researchers, told Medpage. 6. Veroushka Ballester, MD, a spokesperson for the American Gastroenterological Association, told Medpage that the findings support the 2021 change in guidance that lowered the recommended CRC screening age to 45. "Although screening colonoscopy outcomes were generally slightly less frequent among the younger group compared with the older group, by showing comparable detection rates of advanced lesions and sessile serrated lesions between the 45-49 and 50-54 age groups, the study reinforces the rationale behind the revised screening age recommendations," Dr. Ballester told MedPage. n GI Alliance, MedCore open Arkansas ASC By Claire Wallace M anagement organization GI Alliance has partnered with real estate company MedCore to open a new ASC in Bentonville, Ark. The ASC officially opened to patients in February, providing outpatient surgical procedures and clinical services for GI patients, according to a June 6 news release. The ASC houses multiple operating rooms, pre-operative and recovery suites, and an adjacent managed clinic with specialty consultations, pre-surgical evaluations and post- operative follow-up. GI Alliance currently provides services to over 800 GIs in 16 states. n Why this GI CEO says ASC independence is getting harder to sustain By Patsy Newitt M ichael Warne, CEO of Associated Gastroenterologists of Central New York in Camillus, joined Becker's to share his perspective on the growing financial pressures facing independent ASCs — and why some may turn to hospitals for support despite concerns over operational impact. Editor's note: is response was edited lightly for clarity and length. Michael Warne: I think most independent ASCs would prefer to stay independent — that's kind of the whole point. But with flat reimbursement and rising costs across the board, it's getting harder to make the numbers work. In some cases, teaming up with a hospital or health system can help — mainly because they have more leverage with insurance companies and deeper pockets to cover big-ticket expenses — like anesthesia, which has become one of the most challenging and expensive line items to manage. But from a day-to-day standpoint, I don't think hospitals are coming in to make ASCs run better. ese centers are already super efficient, run by doctors and admins who know the local market and have spent years fine-tuning operations. So no, they probably won't improve workflow — but if they can bring better rates or support on the financial side, there's definitely some value there. n

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