Gastroenterology's mainstay procedure has seen a flurry of recent developments, and the largest was the closure of the colonoscopy loophole.
The colonoscopy loophole required CMS to bill patients when a screening colonoscopy became a diagnostic colonoscopy. A bill to fix this oversight passed as part of the second COVID-19 relief bill. Read more.
Here are five other updates:
1. CMS' quality measure may be inaccurate for colonoscopy. Patients who received an outpatient colonoscopy seldom go to the emergency room for unplanned complications, and of those who do it's often for reasons unrelated to the procedure. Read more.
2. Delaying colonoscopy after a positive stool test increases CRC rates. Patients must confirm a positive stool-based colorectal cancer screening test with a colonoscopy, and delaying that follow-up colonoscopy has led to increased CRC rates. Read more.
3. Texted reminders didn't increase colonoscopy adherence. Automated text message reminders did not increase colonoscopy attendance or bowel preparation quality. Read more.
4. Pill-based colonoscopy prep launched in U.S. Sebela Pharmaceuticals launched its pill-based colonoscopy preparation, Sutab, in the U.S. Read more.
5. The American Gastroenterological Association recommended pivoting from colonoscopy-only testing. A team of 60 gastroenterology experts recommended gastroenterologists move on from a "one-size-fits-all" approach to colorectal cancer screening, in an August preprint study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Read more.