From partnerships to an accreditation, here are 22 gastroenterology updates Becker's has reported on since Dec. 1:
1. GI Alliance, which recently went through a physician-led buyout that valued the company at $2.2 billion, hired Benjamin Griffith as its chief legal officer.
2. Gastro Health partnered with Lynx.MD to support the development and research of digital GI-specific tools.
3. Three pediatric gastroenterologists at Santa Clara Medical Center in San Jose, Calif., including Christopher Fink, MD, and Rachel Ruiz, MD, wrote an internal letter to hospital leaders urging them to address extended wait times at the hospital
4. Iterative Health partnered with gastroenterology platform Gastro Health to bring its AI tools to Gastro Health's more than 150 practices.
5. Dayton (Ohio) VA Medical Center is using artificial intelligence to detect polyps during colonoscopies.
6. A recent study found that joint pain can have a significant impact on quality of life for patients with ulcerative colitis.
7. Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Adult Gastroenterology and Laboratory Medicine was honored by The American Society for Clinical Pathology for its Choosing Wisely campaign, which educates patients on fecal occult blood testing.
8. Some of the Boston area's largest hospitals have monthslong waitlists for colonoscopies.
9. Lubbock, Texas-based Covenant High Plains Surgery Center was accredited with the Aetna Institute of Quality distinction for weight loss surgery.
10. Vivante Health was selected for the Digital Health 150 List for 2022 by CB Insights.
11. Actress Kirstie Alley died of colon cancer at age 71.
12. GastroGPO partnered with AnX Robotica, a developer of minimally invasive endoscopy procedures.
13. Global medical technology company Olympus signed an exclusive distribution agreement with EndoClot Plus following the successful commercialization of EndoClot Plus products in the U.S. this spring.
14. Iterative Health was named to the Digital Health 150 List for 2022 by CB Insights.
15. Hau Liu, MD, was selected as the chief medical officer for Vivante Health.
16. Ohio Gastroenterology added interactive virtual assistants to assist patients with preoperative and postoperative care; they are available through the Orbita conversational AI platform.
17. Sonja Olsen, MD, a gastroenterology and hepatology specialist, left New York City-based NYU Langone Health to join the Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital Gastro Group of the Palm Beaches.
18. The Dawson County Chamber of Commerce cut the ribbon on GI North's new location in Dawsonville, Ga.
19. A research team at the University of California San Diego created a self-powered sensor to monitor metabolites in the small intestine.
20. A researcher at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles hypothesized that bodily intolerance to gravity may cause irritable bowel syndrome.
21. The American Gastroenterological Association's GI Opportunity Fund made its first investment, financing Virgo Surgical Video Solutions in a series A funding round.
22. One GI partnered with the Colon, Stomach, and Liver Center and Loudoun Endoscopy Group in Lansdowne, Va.