UnitedHealthcare’s announcement that it will reduce prior authorization requirements by 30% across its commercial, Medicare Advantage and ACA marketplace plans has drawn cautiously positive responses from physician groups, who say the changes are welcome but fall short of the lasting…
GI & Endoscopy
Gastroenterology practices are absorbing pressure from two directions at once this year, and physicians and administrators say the damage is showing up procedure by procedure, on individual claims and individual schedules. CMS’ 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule cut ASC-based GI…
A new descriptive analysis from revenue cycle company Transcure examined first-submission claim denials across 340 gastroenterology practices from January through June 2026, according to an Aug. 29 news release. Here are five things to know: 1. Screening-to-diagnostic conversion errors were…
Scotland Surgical & GI, part of Laurinburg, N.C.-based Scotland Health, is relocating into a new facility, according to an Aug. 28 report from The Laurinburg Exchange. Outpatient Endoscopy Services will join the physician practice at the new center, creating a…
A significant driver of the ASC markets’ growth in the last year is patient preference — including in specialty-specific practices like endoscopy centers. ASCs often present a more affordable, convenient and comfortable alternative to hospitals for outpatient procedures — and…
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ASCs focused on gastroenterology and endoscopy are navigating two forces pulling in opposite directions. Recruiting physician partners has become one of the toughest operational challenges centers face. A VMG Health survey found that 61 ASCs named physician recruitment their top…
Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s Metamor Institute found that extreme obesity does not preclude bariatric surgery, according to a study published Aug. 24 in Obesity. Here are five things to know: 1. Researchers headed by Vance Albaugh, MD, analyzed 1,262,454 bariatric…
As private equity-backed groups, hospitals and ASCs all bid for the same thin pipeline of gastroenterologists, recruiting one has become one of healthcare’s longest and most expensive physician searches. Gastroenterology openings now sit unfilled for a median of 186 days,…
Fujifilm Healthcare Americas Corp. is facing a lawsuit from a Texas hospital employee who says she suffered severe hearing damage when a company representative’s endoscope demonstration ended in an explosion. Elizabeth Morell was on staff at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital-Plano…
About two-thirds of gastroenterologists reported no change in overall happiness year-over-year, according to a new report from Medscape. The report, “Following Their Own Advice? Medscape Gastroenterologist Mental Health & Well-Being Report 2026,” published Aug. 21, surveyed 5,159 full-time physicians practicing…