MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDEN
KUDOS!
Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) under Medicare. Unleashing the research potential of the registry is a major priority for GIQuIC, a joint initiative of ACG and ASGE under the leadership of Dr. Glenn Eisen. Dr. David Greenwald chairs GIQuIC’s Research Committee, and he recently reported that findings from analyses of GIQuIC data generated five DDW abstracts this year, including two oral presentations. Findings based on GIQuIC data will also be presented at ACG in Philadelphia this fall, and I look forward to seeing how researchers are mining this rich dataset for insights applicable to GI endoscopic practice.
It’s an honor to report on some great news involving College programs and priorities so closely aligned to the pillars of our mission: ACG’s journals, education, dedication to quality improvement, and advocacy at the state and federal levels on behalf of you—the members of ACG.
TRACKING THE PULSE OF CRITICAL ISSUES: ACG GOVERNORS
IMPACT FACTORS ON THE RISE FOR AJG AND CTG Reports of the 2017 journal impact factors reveal increases for both The American Journal of Gastroenterology and Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology. At 10.231, AJG holds the top place for journals publishing original clinical GI science. The growing clout of CTG is accompanied by an increase in impact factor to 4.621, up from 3.923 last year. The consistent quality and the usefulness of the College’s journals as a way for GI clinicians to keep abreast of the most timely and relevant research, guidelines, and practice insights is particularly meaningful. Congratulations are in order on the outstanding work by AJG’s Co-Editors-in-Chief Dr. Brian Lacy and Dr. Brennan Spiegel and CTG’s Editor-in-Chief Dr. David Whitcomb, along with the editorial boards they oversee.
RECORD-SETTING ABSTRACTS SUBMITTED Clinical GI investigators submitted a record number of abstracts for the upcoming Annual Scientific Meeting this October in Philadelphia. With total submissions of just under 3,100, this robust showing is a harbinger for a vibrant and well-attended meeting that showcases clinical research impacting GI patient care. The continued upward growth in abstracts is a testament to the excellence of the educational program, developed by the Educational Affairs Committee chaired by Dr. Seth Gross.
GIQUIC HITS MILESTONES AND MATURES AS A DATASET FOR RESEARCHERS Major milestones and meaningful growth are a continued theme for the GI Quality Improvement Consortium (GIQuIC) registry which is implemented in 650 locations representing over 475 entities, and used by more than 4,500 physicians. The registry now boasts data on more than six million colonoscopies and just surpassed the one million mark for EGDs. The exponential growth in procedures tracks the maturation of the registry and the growing usefulness of GIQuIC as a Quality
6 | GI.ORG/ACGMAGAZINE
“As this step
therapy issue bubbled up from the state level thanks to the voices of the Governors, ACG saw an opportunity to play a leading role in this issue.”
An essential role for the College’s Board of Governors is to identify hot topics in their states and regions impacting the GI profession and bring them to the forefront for action at the national level. The issue of prior authorization requirements by commercial insurers and state-level legislation on step therapy shows just how well attuned and responsive the ACG Governors are. Last year, when the Governors convened in 2017 for their Fly-In visit to Capitol Hill and met to discuss their concerns, and emerging from their reports throughout the year, the issue of insurance denials and the need for prior authorization for medications was becoming more prevalent around the country. At the same time, state legislatures in Minnesota, Massachusetts, Ohio and elsewhere introduced bills limiting insurers’ ability to implement “fail first” drug therapy requirements, in which patients are forced by insurers to try and fail with one or more medications before the cost of the medication their doctor originally prescribed will be covered. As this step therapy issue bubbled up from the state level thanks to the voices of the Governors, ACG saw an opportunity to play a leading role in this issue. Step therapy was a priority agenda item when the Governors returned to Washington in 2018 for their visits with the United States Congress, including support for the "Restoring the Patient's Voice Act of 2017” (H.R. 2077) introduced by U.S. Representative Brad Wenstrup (ROH). The bill would allow for exemptions to be made to the step therapy protocol to remove current barriers and allow patients to gain access to the medication they need at a faster pace. This is just one of many examples of the exemplary work by the Governors, ably shepherded by Chair Dr. Costas Kefalas and Vice Chair Dr. Douglas Adler, who keep a keen focus on the issues that matter most to practicing gastroenterologists and give voice to their interests and priorities at the state and national level.
—Irving M. Pike, MD, FACG
