Message from the President

MomentumPositive

As we move forward, the GI industry is well-positioned for success

We enter spring with optimism. Thanks to the development and rollout of vaccines, the end of the pandemic seems like it’s in sight. But that conclusion is months away, and those months are likely to be some of the more taxing for the country.

At the beginning of the pandemic, GI practices and ASCs weathered the shutdown and emerged with an acute focus on safety while ensuring patients received critical care. Working in this “new normal” presented obstacles, but the GI industry overcame them. While we move forward toward the finish line for this health crisis, we must be cognizant of the speed bumps that will make the last leg of this journey difficult.

On a national level, challenges may include personal protective equipment shortages and confusion concerning the vaccine rollout. On a local level, organizations may find themselves in hot spots, which bring elevated exposure risk and potential restrictions.

Despite our desire to return to normalcy quickly, we cannot let our guard down. We must remain nimble and adaptable, prepared to assess and respond to developments. We must also be diligent and vigilant concerning steps taken to maintain a safe environment and efficient operations, so we can continue serving patients.

Among the questions to ask yourself: If you’re in an area of heightened risk, do you implement increased testing requirements? Do you need to contact your local health system to understand its protocols and ways your organization can provide support? If you’re in an area with a lower COVID rate, do you implement rules concerning travel to areas with elevated rates?

In addition, apply lessons learned from your experiences. Are you prepared to effectively reduce operations if your area enters into a lockdown? Are crisis communication protocols adequate to support rapid changes? Do you have a plan if staff members test positive or are exposed to COVID?

Answering these and other questions while maintaining strong lines of communication with stakeholders (e.g., patients, staff, vendors) will be essential to navigating the remainder of the crisis. At the same time, we must begin to understand how our healthcare system will look following the pandemic. Despite our desire to The good news is that the GI industry is positioned return to normalcy to emerge with positive quickly, we cannot let momentum. That’s why PE is committed to supporting our guard down. the GI community through these difficult months ahead while taking steps to come out of this period strong. We continue to pursue diversification of services that will permit us to further support all aspects of GI and help organizations looking to grow. This diversification is a motivating factor in our decision to rebrand Physicians Endoscopy to PE GI Solutions. I invite you to learn more about the expansion by turning David Young, President & CEO, to page 6. PE GI Solutions