As colorectal cancer rates continue to rise nationwide, even among young patients, surgeons, celebrities and advocacy groups alike are going to new lengths to encourage people to get screened. 

A Louisiana-based surgeon is being investigated following multiple allegations of sexual assault from female patients, according to a Jan. 9 report from ABC affiliate KPLC. 

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, released a new warning at the beginning of January tying several types of cancer, including colorectal cancer, to alcohol consumption. 

From prior authorization burdens to the advent of new AI, three gastroenterology specialists spoke with Becker's about the key factors that will make or break the field of GI in 2025. 

As all physicians are heading into 2025 battling nationwide shortages and ongoing reimbursement cuts, here are five numbers that are scaring gastroenterologists right now: 

Buffalo, N.Y.-based Endoscopy Center of WNY plans to open a $6 million, 8,600-square-foot ASC also in Buffalo, according to a Jan. 8 report from Buffalo Business First.

Gastro Health, GI Alliance, PE GI Solutions, One GI and United Digestive are five of the largest gastroenterology megagroups in the country.

Here are five GI devices to keep an eye on that Becker's reported on in 2024:

From athletes to actors, several prominent figures suffer from irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. 

GI management services group Gastro Health has tapped Eugenio Hernandez, MD, as its chief medical officer. 

In August, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed House Bill 2385, requiring insurance coverage for all colonoscopies in patients that show signs or symptoms of colon cancer or have an existing colon condition.

Here are 10 recent changes to colonoscopy laws, reimbursements and recommendations from 2024 that physicians should watch going into 2025:

Beginning Jan. 1, patients in four states now have full insurance coverage for their colonoscopy procedures. 

Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network and Lehigh Valley Physician Group have added local physician group Eastern Pennsylvania Gastroenterology and Liver Specialists to their network. 

After almost four years of legal back-and-forth, three Ohio judges have upheld a unanimous $7 million verdict from October 2023 against Germantown, Md.-based Alteon Health and Patrick Bovino, DO, WFMJ 21 reported Jan. 2. 

From new legislation to shuttered practices, these are the five most-read gastroenterology stories that Becker's covered in 2024: 

On Jan. 1, a new law went into effect in Nebraska, requiring insurance companies to cover every part of colorectal cancer screenings. 

Here are five updates that changed the landscape for colorectal cancer detection and treatment in 2024:

Katy, Texas-based Gastro Health & Nutrition has opened a new clinic location in Cypress, Texas, according to a Dec. 31 report from Community Impact.

Here are eight gastroenterologists who have made headlines in the last month: