Gastroenterology leaders faced an increasingly complex landscape in 2024, with closures, legal controversies and cyberattacks shaping the specialty’s future.
These challenges underscore the need for strategic decision-making as practices navigate operational pressures, legal risks and evolving cybersecurity threats.
Here are 10 closures, controversies and cyberattacks from 2024 that gastroenterologists should know:
Closures
- Dumbarton, Va.-based Commonwealth Gastroenterology will shutter Feb. 28. The practice is owned and operated by gastroenterologist Scott Woogen, MD, who has been serving the area for more than 30 years and will be retiring, according to the notice.
- The Battle Creek (Mich.) Endoscopy and Surgery Center will close Dec. 31, laying off 17. The decision comes after the retirement of three physicians and the clinic's inability to fill those positions.
Cyberattacks:
- Connecticut GI and Gastroenterology Associates of Fairfield faced a data breach affecting 10,568 patients. On June 19, the clinics learned that an unauthorized party had entered their systems between June 5-7 and copied certain patient data. A review of stolen data determined that patient names and financial account information had been compromised.
- Lakewood, Colo.-based Rocky Mountain Gastroenterology has faced cyberattacks from at least three online criminal groups accessing the data of more than 169,000 patients. Findings suggest that the practice, which operates 26 locations, was targeted by cybercriminal groups Meow Leaks, RandomHub and Trinity.
- The Gastroenterology Associates of Central Florida ––also known as the Center for Digestive Health –– notified the Attorney General of Massachusetts of a data breach in its system on May 29. The center discovered that an unauthorized party accessed the organizations’ computer system. The unauthorized party was able to access patients’ sensitive information, including names, Social Security numbers and financial information. After completing their investigation, the organization sent out notification letters to all patients whose information was breached.
Legal controversies:
- A jury in Portland, Ore., awarded over $24.6 million to the family of a patient who died during a colonoscopy in 2018, but cleared the gastroenterologist involved in the case.
The jury heard opening arguments for the case July 31. The family of Erric Gilbert initially sued the clinic and the team of medical providers for a total of $57.7 million in both economic and non-economic damages for failing to provide emergency resuscitation in time after Mr. Gilbert's vital signs began to crash during his procedure. The gastroenterologist who performed the procedure, Young Choi, MD, was found at no fault for the incident by the jury, despite opposing arguments by Mr. Gilbert's family
- The Arkansas State Medical Board revoked the license of gastroenterologist Alonzo Williams, MD, following accusations of sexual harassment and improper prescription practices, among other allegations. The board approved 16 of the 17 charges against Dr. Williams. According to the report, many were related to "ignorant malpractices" for overutilization of medical procedures including biopsies and colonoscopies.
- Another patient has accused New York City gastroenterologist Zhi Alan Cheng, MD, of sexual abuse. This is the third indictment against Dr. Cheng, who was employed by New York City-based NewYork-Presbyterian Queens from July 2020 to December 2022. According to the report, a 48-year-old woman alleges she was sedated for a colonoscopy at the hospital and woke up to find Dr. Cheng sexually abusing her.
The patient's attorney has filed a lawsuit on her behalf and of other women involved in the case who allege NewYork-Presbyterian Queens failed to act to remove Dr. Cheng after signs of predatory behavior.
- Nitesh Ratnakar, MD, gastroenterologist in Wheeling, W.Va., was indicted on charges of tax fraud and obstructing justice after authorities said he failed to pay more than $2.4 million in payroll taxes. Dr. Ratnakar was indicted on 41 counts of tax fraud and one count of obstructing a federal grand jury investigation.
- Natick, Mass.-based medical device company THD America and its parent company will pay $700,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act through kickbacks to colorectal surgeons. Between 2014 and 2017, the company allegedly knowingly caused colorectal and general surgeons to use incorrect codes to obtain inflated reimbursements from Medicare and state Medicaid programs for the use of THD's hemorrhoid removal system.