NOVEL & NOTEWORTHY

Note worNote worthy thy

ACG MAGAZINE is a forum for College news—a place to showcase the interests and accomplishments of ACG members, as well as notable GI news and innovation. This issue of ACG MAGAZINE includes in memoriams, recognizes authors and awardees, salutes a crosscountry walk for CRC awareness, and more. Email your professional news and any ideas for future issues of ACG MAGAZINE to

ACGMag@gi.org

[QUALITY] CMS APPROVES GIQUIC AS A QCDR FOR THE 2019 REPORTING YEAR

The GI Quality Improvement Consortium, Ltd. (GIQuIC) Registry has been approved as a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) for reporting to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for the 2019 reporting year.

“GIQuIC’s continued ability to offer quality reporting to CMS as a benefit of participation in the registry is a strategic imperative. We have maintained QCDR status since its inception in 2014, as it is critical for providers to report on measures that are meaningful to their specialty practice. GIQuIC’s QCDR status allows gastroenterologists to concurrently foster improvement in the quality of care provided to patients with gastrointestinal disorders, while being in compliance with reporting requirements,” said Glenn M. Eisen, MD, MPH, President of the GIQuIC Board of Directors.

The 2019 GIQuIC QCDR is approved to report for individual eligible providers, groups and virtual groups to the Quality, Promoting Interoperability and Improvement Activities performance categories.

GIQuIC will host an informational webinar on reporting via the GIQuIC 2019 QCDR in Spring 2019. A recording of this webinar will be available on the GIQuIC website.

READ the press release: bit.ly/GIQUIC19QCDR, and visit the GIQuIC website: giquic.org

[AUTHORSHIP] AMY S. OXENTENKO, MD, FACG, ACG BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Dr. Oxentenko contributed to a piece for Doximity entitled, “5 Female Leaders Share Lessons They Wish They Learned in Med School.”

While the co-authors mentor and sponsor many physicians, they submit that “…often our advice to them is not what we did ourselves. Why? Because when we were younger, we didn’t know what we do now.”

The article offers advice in five areas— such as asking for what you deserve and strategically expanding your professional networks—and provides concrete steps to take action in these areas.

READ the article: bit.ly/Oxentenko18

[AWARENESS] CHAD SCHRACK

A walk that began on May 6, 2018, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, ended in late August and 2,600 miles away—in Venice Beach, CA. Chad Schrack, a FedEx freight driver and Fight Colorectal Cancer advocate, walked across the country to raise awareness for colorectal cancer and veterans suicide.

Schrack derives his passion for both causes from two life experiences. His wife, Sheila, who is now cancer free, was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2006, at age 38, according to a FedEx blog post about Schrack’s “Cancer Stroll.” Additionally, a man who served in Schrack’s squad in Iraq in the early 2000s took his own life after returning from war.

Along the cross-country walk, Schrack met with Congressional offices, stopped at the Fight Colorectal Cancer headquarters in Springfield, MO, raised awareness with singer Harry Connick Jr., and found common ground with a man he coincidentally met riding his bike the full length of Route 66. The common ground? The man is a bowel cancer survivor.

READ the FedEx blog post about Schrack: bit.ly/Schrack18

FOLLOW Schrack on Twitter @cancerstroll

[AWARDEES] AYSE AYTAMAN, MD, FACG

The American Liver Foundation recognized Dr. Aytaman with its Physician of the Year award at its annual ALF Honors Gala, November 27 in New York, NY. Aytaman, who is Chief of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at the VA New York Harbor Health Care System, is the first VA physician and the first woman to win the award.

“I am truly humbled to be chosen as an honoree by the ALF,” Aytaman told ACG. The gala was “unbelievably touching,” she said.

The award is given annually to a physician who supports ALF’s mission, either directly or indirectly.

“We are always on the lookout for individuals who go above and beyond for the treatments, care, support and education of their patients,” ALF Executive Director Veronica Perez said in an email to ACG.

Perez advised that Aytaman’s peers nominated her for the award.

“Dr. Aytaman is beyond deserving of this prestigious honor,” she said.

During the gala, ALF played a video which told the powerful story of the relationship between Aytaman and Harvey Lee Ware, a Vietnam veteran and a patient of hers.

WATCH the video: bit.ly/Aytaman

 Photo right:

At the ACG

Annual Scientific

Meeting in 2000 in New York

City, Dr. Balart presents ACG’s

Distinguished

Service Award to

Virginia Senator

Emily Couric.

[IN MEMORIAM] LUIS A. BALART, MD, MACG, NEW ORLEANS, LA

ACG Past President Luis A. Balart, MD, MACG, a transplant hepatologist, died of leukemia on January 14, 2019. He was Professor of Medicine and Section Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Tulane University Health Sciences Center. During his long and distinguished career in New Orleans, LA, Dr. Balart served as chief of GI at both Louisiana State University and Tulane University medical schools, in addition to time at Ochsner Medical Center and Southern Baptist Hospital.

Dr. Balart was ACG President from 1999 to 2000 and rose to leadership in the College through the Board of Governors, starting with his election in 1990 and culminating in service as Chair from 1994 to 1995. One of his most important roles in ACG leadership was his tenure as Chair of ACG’s National Affairs Committee from 1995 to 1997. Dr. Balart provided important leadership and personal connections with legislators and was energetic and committed to advancing the interests of clinical gastroenterologists during his many visits to Washington, DC.

One of the highlights of his ACG presidency came in 2000, when he awarded the ACG Distinguished Service Award to Emily Couric, a state senator from Virginia. Before her death from pancreas cancer, Senator Couric had been instrumental in passing the first state legislation requiring private insurers to cover preventive colorectal cancer screening. Senator Couric was the sister of journalist Katie Couric.

ACG Past President Seymour Katz, MD, MACG, who served with Dr. Balart on the ACG Board of Trustees, remembers his colleague and friend: “Luis was the quintessential physician educator and ACG President. His buoyant personality and ever-present smile, coupled with competence and concern for patients and colleagues, created and indelible memory of a physician who always seemed to know ‘to do the right thing.’ I shall miss him.”

Dr. Balart’s year as ACG President was immediately preceded by Christina M. Surawicz, MD, MACG, who reflects on what he meant to her: “Luis was an amazing person, the definition of a true gentleman— always honest, insightful, smart and reliable. I could always count on him for wise counsel. With his death, we have lost a truly wonderful man, but we have not lost his legacy.”

Dr. Balart was born in Havana on October 20, 1948, emigrated with his family to the United States in 1961, and settled in New Orleans. Dr. Balart received his medical degree from Louisiana State University in New Orleans. He completed his internship at Charity Hospital in New Orleans and finished his residency in internal medicine at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA. He completed two fellowships: the first in Gastroenterology at Ochsner Medical Institutions, and the second in Hepatology at the University of Southern California.

While in medical school, Dr. Balart enlisted in the Navy and served 20 years in the Navy Reserve, rising to the rank of lieutenant commander. Dr. Balart was one of the authors of The New York Times best-selling diet book, “Sugar Busters! Cut Sugar to Trim Fat.”

Dr. Balart is from a family of gastroenterologists. Both his father, Louis A. Balart, MD, FACG, who died in 2013, and his son, J. Carter Balart, MD, of Baton Rouge, LA, have been members of the College.

[IN MEMORIAM] ACG REMEMBERS G. RICHARD LOCKE, III, MD, FACG

The College is saddened by the death of G. Richard Locke, MD, FACG, of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Dr. Locke died January 10, 2019, at age 57 from complications of progressive supranuclear palsy.

Dr. Locke was known for his work in the epidemiology of functional gastrointestinal disorders and gastroesophageal reflux disease. He was a consultant in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo with a joint appointment in the Division of Health Care Policy and Research. He was also a professor of medicine at the Mayo Medical School.

Yuri A. Saito-Loftus, MD, MPH, FACG, a Mayo colleague of Dr. Locke, paid him this tribute: “He was the consummate clinician and clinical researcher. His energy and enthusiasm were boundless, even on the busiest of days. His former patients still inquire about him, reflecting the kindness and care he afforded them. The GI community has lost a wonderful gastroenterologist.”

Dr. Locke served as an associate editor of The American Journal of Gastroenterology from 2003 to 2009. He served as the ACG Governor for Minnesota from 2009 to 2013 and was a member of the ACG Educational Affairs Committee.

Born September 21, 1961, in Cleveland, OH, Dr. Locke graduated from DePauw University in 1983 and was elected Phi Beta Kappa. He went on to study medicine at Harvard Medical School, from which he graduated in 1987 and where he met his wife, Jean. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Minnesota, where he served as chief resident, and completed his fellowship in gastroenterology at the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education.

At the time of his death, Dr. Locke was also a member of the Board of Trustees of DePauw University, his alma mater. The G. Richard Locke, III Endowed Prize for Pre-Medical Excellence is awarded each spring to the DePauw University student with the highest grade point average of those attending medical school.

“He was the consummate clinician and clinical researcher. His energy and enthusiasm were boundless, even on the busiest of days. His former patients still inquire about him, reflecting the kindness and care he afforded them. The GI community has lost a wonderful gastroenterologist.”

—Yuri A. Saito-Loftus, MD, MPH, FACG

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

SUPREP® Bowel Prep Kit (sodium sulfate, potassium sulfate and magnesium sulfate) Oral Solution is an osmotic laxative indicated for cleansing of the colon as a preparation for colonoscopy in adults. Most common adverse reactions (>2%) are overall discomfort, abdominal distention, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and headache. Use is contraindicated in the following conditions: gastrointestinal (GI) obstruction, bowel perforation, toxic colitis and toxic megacolon, gastric retention, ileus, known allergies to components of the kit. Use caution when prescribing for patients with a history of seizures, arrhythmias, impaired gag reflex, regurgitation or aspiration, severe active ulcerative colitis, impaired renal function or patients taking medications that may affect renal function or electrolytes. Use can cause temporary elevations in uric acid. Uric acid fluctuations in patients with gout may precipitate an acute flare. Administration of osmotic laxative products may produce mucosal aphthous ulcerations, and there have been reports of more serious cases of ischemic colitis requiring hospitalization. Patients with impaired water handling who experience severe vomiting should be closely monitored including measurement of electrolytes. Advise all patients to hydrate adequately before, during, and after use. Each bottle must be diluted with water to a final volume of 16 ounces and ingestion of additional water as recommended is important to patient tolerance.

BRIEF SUMMARY: Before prescribing, please see Full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide for SUPREP® Bowel Prep Kit (sodium sulfate, potassium sulfate and magnesium sulfate) Oral Solution. INDICATIONS AND USAGE: An osmotic laxative indicated for cleansing of the colon as a preparation for colonoscopy in adults. CONTRAINDICATIONS: Use is contraindicated in the following conditions: gastrointestinal (GI) obstruction, bowel perforation, toxic colitis and toxic megacolon, gastric retention, ileus, known allergies to components of the kit. WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS: SUPREP Bowel Prep Kit is an osmotic laxative indicated for cleansing of the colon as a preparation for colonoscopy in adults. Use is contraindicated in the following conditions: gastrointestinal (GI) obstruction, bowel perforation, toxic colitis and toxic megacolon, gastric retention, ileus, known allergies to components of the kit. Use caution when prescribing for patients with a history of seizures, arrhythmias, impaired gag reflex, regurgitation or aspiration, severe active ulcerative colitis, impaired renal function or patients taking medications that may affect renal function or electrolytes. Pre-dose and post-colonoscopy ECGs should be considered in patients at increased risk of serious cardiac arrhythmias. Use can cause temporary elevations in uric acid. Uric acid fluctuations in patients with gout may precipitate an acute flare. Administration of osmotic laxative products may produce mucosal aphthous ulcerations, and there have been reports of more serious cases of ischemic colitis requiring hospitalization. Patients with impaired water handling who experience severe vomiting should be closely monitored including measurement of electrolytes. Advise all patients to hydrate adequately before, during, and after use. Each bottle must be diluted with water to a final volume of 16 ounces and ingestion of additional water as recommended is important to patient tolerance. Pregnancy: Pregnancy Category C. Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted. It is not known whether this product can cause fetal harm or can affect reproductive capacity. Pediatric Use: Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients has not been established. Geriatric Use: Of the 375 patients who took SUPREP Bowel Prep Kit in clinical trials, 94 (25%) were 65 years of age or older, while 25 (7%) were 75 years of age or older. No overall differences in safety or effectiveness of SUPREP Bowel Prep Kit administered as a split-dose (2-day) regimen were observed between geriatric patients and younger patients. DRUG INTERACTIONS: Oral medication administered within one hour of the start of administration of SUPREP may not be absorbed completely. ADVERSE REACTIONS: Most common adverse reactions (>2%) are overall discomfort, abdominal distention, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and headache. Oral Administration: Split-Dose (Two-Day) Regimen: Early in the evening prior to the colonoscopy: Pour the contents of one bottle of SUPREP Bowel Prep Kit into the mixing container provided. Fill the container with water to the 16 ounce fill line, and drink the entire amount. Drink two additional containers filled to the 16 ounce line with water over the next hour. Consume only a light breakfast or have only clear liquids on the day before colonoscopy. Day of Colonoscopy (10 to 12 hours after the evening dose): Pour the contents of the second SUPREP Bowel Prep Kit into the mixing container provided. Fill the container with water to the 16 ounce fill line, and drink the entire amount. Drink two additional containers filled to the 16 ounce line with water over the next hour. Complete all SUPREP Bowel Prep Kit and required water at least two hours prior to colonoscopy. Consume only clear liquids until after the colonoscopy. STORAGE: Store at 20°-25°C (68°-77°F). Excursions permitted between 15°-30°C (59°-86°F). Rx only. Distributed by Braintree Laboratories, Inc. Braintree, MA 02185

For additional information, please call 1-800-874-6756 or visit www.suprepkit.com

#1 MOST PRESCRIBED,

BRANDED BOWEL PREP KIT1

WITH MORE THAN 15 MILLION KITS DISPENSED SINCE 20101

A CLEAN SWEEP

EFFECTIVE RESULTS IN ALL COLON SEGMENTS2

· SUPREP® Bowel Prep Kit has been FDA-approved as a split-dose oral regimen3 · >90% of patients had no residual stool in all colon segments2*†

These cleansing results for the cecum included 91% of patients2*†

SUPREP Bowel Prep Kit also achieved ≥64% no residual fl uid in 4 out of 5 colon segments (ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid/rectum)2*†

Aligned with Gastrointestinal Quality Improvement Consortium (GIQuIC) performance target of ≥85% quality cleansing for outpatient colonoscopies.4

*This clinical trial was not included in the product labeling. †Based on investigator grading. References: 1. IQVIA. National Prescription Audit Report. September 2018. 2. Rex DK, DiPalma JA, Rodriguez R, McGowan J, Cleveland M. A randomized clinical study comparing reduced-volume oral sulfate solution with standard 4-liter sulfate-free electrolyte lavage solution as preparation for colonoscopy. Gastrointest Endosc. 2010;72(2):328-336. 3. SUPREP Bowel Prep Kit [package insert]. Braintree, MA: Braintree Laboratories, Inc; 2017. 4. Rex DK, Schoenfeld PS, Cohen J, et al. Quality indicators for colonoscopy. Gastrointest Endosc. 2015;81(1):31-53.

NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL GI TRAINING GRANT AWARDS DEADLINE

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