Features

Practice Management

Patients Are Entitled to Medical Records

By

Tammy Worth

The US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights has levied big fines against medical organizations who failed to adhere to HIPAA requirements to release medical records to patients at their request.

Practice Management

Disability Insurance Protects Physicians Against Losses Due to Injury, Illness

By

Sherree Geyer

The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a catalyst for clinicians who previously put off purchasing insurance.

General Gastroenterology

How Physicians Can Cope With Psychological Distress During the Pandemic

By

Tammy Worth

When talking about work issues, Dr Bernstein recommends trying not to focus too much on how awful things are because it can be disheartening.

Other bowel disorders

Dabrafenib and Trametinib Show Promise in Advanced Cholangiocarcinoma

By

Victoria Forster, PhD

Phase 2 clinical trial shows promising result for dabrafenib and trametinib combination in patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma with a BRAFV600E mutation.

Celiac Disease

Celiac Disease: Is There a Link With Environmental Chemicals and Metals?

By

C. Andrew Kistler, MD, PharmD

A team of researchers recently evaluated serum concentrations of persistent organic pollutants to determine how they may affect celiac disease.

Liver

Hepatosplenic T-cell Lymphoma: Recent Progress and Future Considerations

By

Lauren Dembeck, PhD

Researchers reviewed the clinical/pathologic aspects of HSTCL and summarized the latest molecular studies and potential novel therapeutic targets.

Practice Management

IT Asset Inventories Are a First Step in Securing Health Information

By

Tammy Worth

Practices need to know all of the components of their health information systems to determine potential vulnerabilities.

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the Risk of Extraintestinal Cancers

By

C. Andrew Kistler, MD, PharmD

A team of investigators conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the risk of extraintestinal cancer in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Practice Management

Ethical Considerations in Prescribing Unproven Therapies for COVID-19

By

David Alfandre, MD, MSPH

Meeting public demand for an urgently needed effective medication quickly and safely during a pandemic involves difficult tradeoffs.

Practice Management

The Psychology of Collecting Debt: How to Get Patients to Pay Their Bills

By

Tammy Worth

By connecting on a personal level, medical practices may have better results in getting patients to settle their accounts.

Colorectal neoplasia

The Future of Colorectal Cancer Screening Lies in Artificial Intelligence

By

C. Andrew Kistler, MD, PharmD

Artificial intelligence has led to the development of promising improvements in colorectal cancer screening.

General Gastroenterology

Alcohol Use in HIV Linked to Intestinal Dysbiosis, CD8+ T-Cell Dysfunction

By

C. Andrew Kistler, MD, PharmD

Gastroenterologists are more frequently encountering cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

General Gastroenterology

New AGA Guidelines for SARS-CoV-2 Testing Prior to Endoscopies

By

Brandon May

Diagnostic testing can inform decision-making on whether to conduct endoscopy operations during a pandemic.

Practice Management

Seven Tips for Managing Healthcare Teamwork During a Pandemic

By

Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW

COVID-19 has brought unprecedented stress to society at large and perhaps most of all to frontline healthcare teams in a variety of settings. We spoke to an expert about teamwork during such trying times.

General Gastroenterology

Protecting Practices From Ransomware

By

Tammy Worth

Hackers have penetrated healthcare providers’ computer systems to encrypt information and demand money for its release.

General Gastroenterology

How Patients Lose Their Own Voices: Disparities in Patient-Reported Outcome Capture in Clinical Trials

By

Christina Hunter Chapman, MD, MS

It remains important to interrogate how structural discrimination influences the collection of patient-reported outcomes.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Proton Pump Inhibitors and COVID-19: Is There an Increased Risk?

By

C. Andrew Kistler, MD, PharmD

A team of investigators assessed the potential for use of proton pump inhibitors to affect the risk of COVID-19 infection.

Microbiome

FMT Treatment Efficacy Evaluated for NAFLD

By

C. Andrew Kistler, MD, PharmD

As the role of the gut microbiome in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is explored, research has turned to fecal microbiota transplantation as a potential treatment option.

Stomach Disorders

PPI Use and Dementia Development: Is There a Link?

By

C. Andrew Kistler, MD, PharmD

PPIs are frequently used off-label and are easily accessible as over-the-counter products, contributing to the potential for adverse events or drug-drug interactions.

Pancreatic Disorders

Diagnosing and Managing Patients With Primary Pancreatic Lymphoma

By

Roxanne Nelson, RN, BSN

Because primary pancreatic lymphoma is a rare disease, optimal diagnostic and therapeutic protocols have not yet been established.