Expand Colonoscopy Care

One of the key missions of PE GI Solutions is supporting our partners and the GI industry at large. Our publication, PE GI Journal, helps achieve this goal by covering important topics affecting the GI industry, from clinical insights to marketing tips. Below are a few brief highlights from the last year of PE GI Journal. To read extended versions of these articles and get the latest GI industry updates, visit pegijournal.com and sign up for our enewsletter.

Colonoscopy Care

Tips for reducing your patient backlog

Colonoscopy is often considered the “bread and butter” of a GI practice, but too much of a good thing might choke an unprepared gastroenterology clinic. Gastroenterologists can take steps to avoid a backlog of patients.

Create or add to staff dedicated to colonoscopy. A well-rounded colonoscopy team includes staff dedicated to scheduling the procedure, providing patient informa-

Change in Policy

Gastroenterologists have shaped their practices around providing colorectal cancer screenings to patients over the age of 50. However, a growing number of younger adults are developing colorectal cancer; under the old recommendations, younger patients may not be receiving the colon cancer screenings they need. To address this, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recently updated its guidelines on colorectal screenings to include younger patients. The new recommended age to begin getting screened is 45 years old. tion,and managing workups, intake forms, and patient records.

Implement a triage. Establishing colonoscopy triage priorities can ensure that the patients at highest risk receive screening promptly.

Offer alternatives for average-risk patients. Clinics inundated with colonoscopy requests may benefit from developing a tiered approach to recommending colonoscopy, one that is based on assessing each patient’s individual risk for developing colorectal cancer. While colonoscopy is the recommended best practice and gold standard for screening, other alternatives like fecal immunochemical testing or stool DNA can be considered.

Identify and address factors likely to slow patient throughput. Increasing throughput may involve scheduling patients in groups, then taking patients on a firstcome-first-serve basis, keeping procedure times to a minimum, asking patients to send in their paperwork earlier and having ancillary staff available to process it, and calling patients to confirm appointment times and answering questions.

Beef up the business office. While healthcare organizations are encouraging payers to update their policies quickly, it may take some time for insurance companies to update their policies. Adding temporary staff to the Billing & Insurance office can help GI clinics avoid a backlog of paperwork and payments.

Use a “Direct Endoscopy Referral System” for eligible patients. Direct endoscopy referral system (DERS), sometimes called “open access,” allows nurse practitioners and other care providers to medically clear and refer patients directly for colonoscopy. READ MORE