Message from the President

Confidence Building

How lessons learned from the pandemic can help guide the way forward

To say COVID-19 came quickly would be an understatement. The first U.S. case was in the latter half of January; the U.S. declared a public health emergency in early February. On March 11, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic; just two days later, it was declared a national emergency.

GI practices and ASCs, like all businesses, were forced to respond fast. Plans for the coming weeks, months and, in some cases, years were discarded as organizations worked to reinvent how to manage themselves according to a new set of rules. Many steps were taken, and many difficult decisions were made, including those concerning staffing levels and partner contracts.

Once the necessary steps were completed, businesses hunkered down, tightened their belts, and worked to make it through a challenging period of time. Attention was paid to providing care that could not be safely postponed and efforts began in working with government programs and lenders to secure financial support.

Time passed, and now businesses are reopening. GI practices and ASCs have focused on further building patient and provider confidence, with the goal of coming out of this health crisis feeling like there is still a positive short-term future for GI and a strong role for the specialty in the long term. But we can’t look too far ahead, as we still must travel a significant part of the journey.

While we may be feeling like we are slowly getting back to normal as we approach pre-pandemic patient visits and case volumes, there remains the ever-present threat of hotspots. We must stay nimble, flexible, and ready to respond quickly and effectively so we can continue to treat patients in a safe environment—one that takes into account the lessons learned from COVID-19 thus far.

Momentum is building across GI practices and ASCs because of the aforementioned patient and provider confidence. By ably responding to speed bumps, we can continue this progression. When there is a better understanding on immunization and vaccination opportunities, we will further evaluate our situation and determine the best way to move forward, including how we can further enhance the pivotal role of GI.

In the months ahead, continue to focus on the safety of your patients, employees, and yourselves, as well as the reputation of your business. Work closely with the partners that can provide financial, clinical, and operational support to help you best navigate these challenging times.

Physicians Endoscopy’s primary focus is to lead practices and ASCs to longterm success. We remain committed to supporting the GI industry and all physicians, regardless of whether they are our partners. The future for GI is bright—we look forward to playing a part in helping the industry make the most of this potential. We must stay nimble, flexible, and ready to respond quickly and effectively so we can continue to treat patients in a safe environment— one that takes into account the lessons learned from COVID-19 thus far.

David Young, President & CEO, Physicians Endoscopy

Strategic planning is at the forefront for many hospitals with an emphasis on improving quality and lowering costs. The movement of hospitals toward licensed ambulatory surgery centers has accelerated based on a shift to value-based care, population health, and transparency.

Combining Physician Endoscopy’s expertise with a progressive hospital will ensure the most successful joint venture. PE has years of experience building successful three-way joint ventures and long-term relationships between hospitals and physicians.

LET’S WORK TOGETHER TO DEVELOP WORLD-CLASS: PATIENT CARE • PHYSICIAN ENGAGEMENT • MARKET POSITION

(866) 240-9496 endocenters.com/partner-opportunities-withphysicians-endoscopy/hospital-joint-venture