As the new year approaches, gastroenterologists, along with many other physicians, are beginning to examine their priorities for 2024.
Here is what two gastroenterologists are prioritizing in 2024:
Note: These responses were edited lightly for brevity and clarity.
Omar Khokhar, MD. Partner at Illinois GastroHealth (Bloomington): Top priority is staff engagement to meet our goals. Historically we haven't enrolled our staff into the why — the patient experience, the revenue cycle and bottom line. We need to find the right staff who are willing to understand the why and then choose to walk the walk with the ASC in order to improve patient access and profitability. We also need to be more aggressive and proactive with contract management/optimization.
Pankaj Vashi, MD. Department Head of Gastroenterology/Nutrition and Vice Chief of Staff at City of Hope Chicago: My priority for 2024 is to see the impact of AI in the field of gastroenterology. Artificial intelligence is in its infancy, and we are already seeing it being used for screening for colon cancer and surveillance for Barrett's esophagus. New applications of AI will change how we practice in the near future.