Tags: clinic | Gastroenterology Consultants | Nevada | opening

Gastroenterology Consultants, based in Reno, Nev., has opened its new clinic in Carson Tahoe Regional Healthcare in Carson City, Nev., according to a report in the Nevada Appeal.

Tags: endoscopy | gastroenterology | GI endoscopic devices | U.S. maket

Here are five statistics about the gastrointestinal endoscopic market from international market research and consulting group iData Research.

Gastroenterology and endoscopy can be profitable and successful services for your ASC, provided volumes are high and centers maximize their reimbursement. For this reason, it is important for ASCs to keep denials for these procedures low.

Tags: colonoscopies | Digestive Health Specialists | North Carolina

For the second consecutive year the physicians and staff at Digestive Health Specialists in Winston-Salem, N.C., are going to donate their time and facilities to perform 50 free screening colonoscopies in 50 days for people who have lost their jobs and health insurance in the past year and who have not been screened previously, according to a news release from the practice.

Tags: AHRQ | expenditures | gastrointestinal agents | prescriptions

A new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey has shown that the number of Americans purchasing at least one outpatient prescription gastrointestinal agent rose from 18.1 million (6.7 percent) in 1997 to 29.0 million (9.6 percent) in 2007.

Tags: ASGE | ASGE guidelines | endoscopy by nonphysicians

Guidelines for endoscopy by nonphysicians issued by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy recognize that properly trained nonphysician endoscopists are a less costly alternative to physicians. But the society also recognizes that the training of nonphysicians — including nurse practitioners, physician assistants and registered nurses — limits their ability to perform certain procedures. Here are the ASCE guidelines for the common endoscopy procedures performed by nonphysicians.

Tags: colon surgery | laparoscopic surgery | recovery

P. Marco Fisichella, MD, of Loyola University Health System in Chicago is treating patients with conditions such as diverticulitis using a laparoscopic surgery technique, which can help patients recover faster, experience less pain and has a lower risk of infection, according to a Loyola news release.

Tags: Chapter 11 | gastroenterology | lawsuit | New Jersey

Atlantic Gastroenterology Associates in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after it was ordered to pay a former physician $8.7 million for breach of contract violations, according to a report in the Press of Atlantic City.

Tags: GI Diagnostic Center | Montana | opening | St. Vincent Healthcare

The GI Diagnostic Center, a joint venture between St. Vincent Healthcare and Billings Gastrointestinal Associates, is scheduled to open in Billings, Mont., according to a report in the Billings Gazette.

Tags: Berkshire Medical Center | colonoscopy | Massachusetts | scheduling

In an effort to encourage more patients to receive their routine screenings for colorectal cancer, Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass., has instituted a new program making it easier for patients to schedule appointments at the hospital, according to a report in the Berkshire Eagle.