Here are 10 numbers making gastroenterologists nervous right now:
138%. The increased likelihood of cancer deaths among people taking the new FDA-approved blood test every three years, as recommended, compared to those who undergo colonoscopy once a decade, according to a new study from Stanford Medicine.
83%. The percentage of colorectal tumors detected by the blood test in a clinical trial involving 8,000 patients.
17%. The percentage of patients who paid nothing out-of-pocket for bowel preparation for screening colonoscopies, according to a study led by Eric Shah, MD, at Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan. Many leaders are concerned about how that could affect screening volumes.
36%. The percentage of patients in the same study who had no out-of-pocket costs for prescription bowel preps. For Medicare Part D, only 25% of high-volume preps were free.
15%. The share of the Medicare-approved amount that patients may pay for physician services if a screening colonoscopy becomes diagnostic.
2.8%. The reduction in the physician fee conversion factor by CMS in its 2025 fee schedule. Ten physicians joined Becker's to discuss the long-term dangers of this reduction.
29%. The decline in Medicare physician payment since 2001, when adjusted for inflation, according to the American Medical Association.
$43.2 billion. The total cost of U.S. cancer screening in 2021. Screening colonoscopies account for $23.7 billion, or 55% of this total.
1,630. The projected national shortage of gastroenterologists by 2025.
8%. The projected growth rate of colon cancer among men in the U.S. in 2024. The expected growth rate among women is 7%.