GI & Endoscopy

With COVID-19 increasing across the U.S., ensuring patients receive access to colorectal screening remains of utmost importance to gastroenterologists across the country.

H.I.G. Growth Partners entered into a partnership Dec. 1 with Rochester Hills, Mich.-based The Center for Digestive Health creating Pinnacle GI Partners, a new investment platform in Michigan.

Here are four recent updates from GI companies and practices:

Exton, Pa.-based US Digestive Health acquired the practice of four physicians previously associated with Pottstown (Pa.) Medical Specialists, the platform announced Nov. 24.

Women who contract early-onset colorectal cancer are more likely to die from the cancer depending on where they live, according to a study published in Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology.  

In response to growing early-onset colorectal cancer rates, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued draft guidelines Oct. 27 to lower the CRC screening age to 45.

States that expanded Medicaid increased the number of colon cancer screenings and led to more detected cancers, according to a pre-publication study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Knoxville, Tenn.-based Tennova Health opened a gastroenterology practice in Morristown, Tenn., recruiting a local gastroenterologist with more than 20 years of experience, the Citizen Tribune reported Nov. 20.

Forty-four surgery centers or practices with gastroenterology services opened or were announced so far in 2020.

After a banner year for activity in 2019, COVID-19 disrupted private equity investment in the gastroenterology space. Yet activity has resumed as the year winds down to a close.