Here are four colonoscopy updates Becker's has reported on since Aug. 18:
1. The average colonoscopy screening costs $925 at an ASC versus $1,224 in a hospital outpatient setting, up from $859 and $1,045 in 2017, according to Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliate Blue Health Intelligence's "Rising Prices for Hospital Outpatient Care" brief, published in September.
2. Black Americans are 20 percent more likely to get colorectal cancer and 40 percent more likely to die from it than most other groups, according to research by the Harris Poll on behalf of Olympus.
3. Colonoscopies using artificial intelligence increased detection of small polyps — but not colorectal neoplasms or advanced adenomas, which can be indicators of colorectal cancer — and resulted in higher rates of unnecessary polyp removal, according to a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
4. During the first week of August, the American College of Physicians updated its guidance for colorectal screenings in asymptomatic, average-risk individuals, raising the recommended screening age from 45 to 50. Some experts are not in agreement with the new recommendations.