Laparoscopic gastric band surgery, buoyed by an obesity epidemic and improved clinical outcomes, has become a viable option for ambulatory surgery centers, but payors have been slow in extending coverage to surgery centers.
GI & Endoscopy
Using a simulation model, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and at Oxford University forecast 65 million more obese adults in the United States by 2030, according to a Lancet report.
A mailed educational reminder asking patients to return their fecal occult blood test cards for a colorectal cancer screening is more cost-effective than other patient-directed interventions, such as telephone calls and letters from physicians, according to a BMC report.
The first endoscopic suturing on a resection of a large polyp in the colon has been performed using Apollo Endosurgery's new OverStitch Endoscopic Suturing System, according to an Apollo news release.
Mauna Kea Technologies has obtained FDA clearance for its updated Cellvizio endomicroscopy system for the GI and pulmonary tracts, according to a company release.
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A new investigational treatment called PerOral Endoscopic Myotomy is being used to treat achalasia, a condition where the esophagus is unable to move food into the stomach, according to a Northwestern Memorial Hospital news release.
Physicians should warn Roux-en-Y gastric bypass patients of reduced tolerance of alcohol after surgery, according to a Lancet report.
Nissin Nahmias, MD, has joined New England Integrative Health Associates in West Hartford, Conn., as a specialist in bariatric procedures and gastrointestinal surgery, according to a West Hartford News report.
The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy has launched Endoscopy Marketplace, an online practice resource for endoscopists.
A New York-based study found unemployed obese patients are more likely to find jobs after bariatric surgery than those who don't get the surgery, according to a Crain's New York Business report.