Letter from the Editor: Brace yourself, but have a nice summer

July 1, 2017|GI and Hepatology News

By the time this column appears in print we will know whether the US Senate passed a version of the GOP health care bill. If so, millions of our patients will be at risk of losing insurance coverage in the name of tax and deficit reduction. I refer you to an article I wrote for the June issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology about the potential transition from Obamacare to Trumpcare.

Our “Flashback” article this month concerns another long-running Congressional issue: repeal of the Sustainable Growth Rate and implementation of value-based reimbursement. We thank Dr. Larry Kosinski for his commentary and for successfully creating the first GI-specific alternative payment model to be endorsed by CMS.

Elsewhere in this issue you will read quite a bit about biosimilars and their place in IBD therapy. Several new biologic therapies are emerging rapidly for patients with IBD refractory to current regimens. We find out that cirrhosis is associated with increased risk of stroke and are reminded about the importance of adenoma detection rates in reducing the risk of interval colon cancers. Finally, in the practice management section you can find out how to use social media in conducting population research.Have a restful summer and brace yourself for what might come.

John I. Allen, MD, MBA, AGAF, FACP

Editor in Chief