The story behind the Pinnacle GI Partners deal (Becker’s GI & Endoscopy)
H.I.G. Growth Partners partnered with Rochester Hills, Mich.-based The Center for Digestive Health Dec. 1 to create Pinnacle GI Partners, a new investment platform in Michigan.

The Scope Forward podcast – (All Episodes)
Now, listen to the interviews while you workout! Praveen Suthrum’s conversations with GI leaders are now available via the Scope Forward podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and elsewhere.

Deloitte’s 2021 predictions  (VentureBeat)
Deloitte has announced its predictions for tech, media, and communications in 2021. Prognostications include that the number of online video visits to doctors will rise to 400 million next year.

Video Capsule Endoscopy for GI Bleeding Reduces Need for Invasive Procedures (Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News)
“In the COVID era, one advantage of video capsule endoscopy is that it requires very little patient contact.”

VRx by gastroenterologist Dr. Spiegel: How VR is changing therapeutic medicine  (MedGadget)
Dr. Brennan Spiegel, a gastroenterologist and Director of Health Services Research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, goes into detail about how virtual reality is playing an increasing role in therapeutic medicine.

GI goes digital with IBS digital therapeutic receiving FDA clearance  (mobihealthnews)
The three-month digital treatment logs a patient’s symptoms and uses them to deliver relevant guidance. In addition, the digital CBT teaches patients skills and habits to help them manage their condition.

Healthcare Spending in 2020 May Drop, Reversing Longtime Growth Trend: Study (Medscape)
In a stunning reversal of a decades-long trend, healthcare spending in 2020 is on course to be lower than in 2019.

New survey shows clinician confidence in AI for improving patient outcomes – as endoscopy demand continues to grow (PR Newswire)
European survey shows 70% of polled gastroenterology clinicians say Artificial Intelligence (AI) will reduce the number of missed lesions.

Clinical perceptions of AI in endoscopy (Health Europa)
Mat Tallis, European Business Manager at Fujifilm Europe discusses the clinical perceptions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in endoscopy.

Options to Make Medicare More Affordable For Beneficiaries Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond (KFF)
The pandemic has exposed long-standing gaps in the U.S. health care system and brought fresh reminders of the health care affordability challenges.

Colorectal Cancer Screenings: A 2020 Success Story (HCPLive)
Despite the difficult circumstances, experts believe colorectal cancer rates will not decrease in the coming years due to delays in screenings.

NASH drug helps reduce liver fat with good tolerability (Healio)
Patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis treated with BIO89-100 experienced clinically meaningful reduction in liver fat, according to research presented at The Liver Meeting Digital Experience.

Virginia GI group joins hospital-affiliated physicians group (Becker’s GI & Endoscopy)
Dong Lee, MD, a gastroenterologist with Gastroenterology Associates of Fredericksburg, said the partnership builds on the groups’ “long-standing relationship” in caring for patients.

AGA Updates Best Practices for Colonic Diverticulitis (MedPage Today)
The AGA has issued updated advice for clinicians on the management of colonic diverticulitis, a painful, unpredictable, and increasingly common disease affecting 180 in 100,000 Americans a year.

Podcast: Practical Considerations for IBD Management, Telehealth, and COVID Vaccination (Healio)
Gil Y. Melmed, MD, MS, discusses the evidence regarding COVID-19 risk among patients with IBD, the future of telehealth for gastroenterologists and the importance of vaccination.

Cancer Rates on the Rise in Adolescents and Young Adults (Medscape)
“Clinicians should be on the lookout for these cancers in their adolescent and young adult patients,” said senior investigator Nicholas Zaorsky, MD.

Video: The Business of Gastroenterology (Spherix Global Insights)
Jennifer Robinson from Spherix Global Insights, and Scott Fraser from Fraser Healthcare, discuss a partnership that examines the evolving landscape of management services organizations in the gastroenterology space.

A GI-Fellow Who Followed His Dream From Zimbabwe to MSK: Josh’s Story  (MSK)
Josh Foromera was born in a small village in Zimbabwe and recently began a fellowship in the Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).

Headlines for GI

6 Big Changes Coming for Office-Visit Coding (Medscape)

Study Shows Future of Healthcare is Shaped by Hybrid Cloud (BusinessWire)

New treatment in development for irritable bowel syndrome (EurekAlert)

Medicare Payments Could Get Tougher for Docs (Medscape)

Complete remission at 8 weeks with high-dose adrenomedullin in UC (Healio)

Universal Nutrition Screening Urged for COVID-19 Patients (Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News)

Top in GI: Entyvio, coagulopathy of COVID-19 (Healio)

The future of gastroenterology and other excerpts on industry-changing trends (Becker’s GI & Endoscopy)

Abivax completes enrollment for study of ulcerative colitis candidate (Healio)

ICYMI: A Quality Systems Approach To Scope Reprocessing (Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News)

Lower socioeconomic status linked with worse outcomes in IBD (Healio)

In the news: Takeda Partners With Universities on Research Into GI and Liver Disorders (IBD News Today)

Videos: Interviews with GI Leaders  (NextServices)