Blog

  • Education Corner February 2026

    February 19, 2026

    Mark your calendars for education designed for trainees at every stage of fellowship hosted at the ASGE Institute for Training and Technology facility in Downers Grove, IL and/or participate virtually.

  • Colon Cancer Screening: Invasive and Non-Invasive

    February 19, 2026

    Colonoscopy remains the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening with its high sensitivity and specificity for cancer as well as precancerous lesions.

  • Avoid Costly Mistakes: Colonoscopy Coding After Positive Stool Screening

    February 19, 2026

    As stool-based colorectal cancer (CRC) screening becomes more prevalent, gastroenterologists are seeing a corresponding rise in referrals for colonoscopies following a positive result.

  • ASGE Endorses Bill to Pause Medicare Efficiency Adjustment

    February 19, 2026

    Legislation has been  introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to stop the 2.5 percent Medicare cut to work Relative Value Units (RVUs) for all non-time-based physician fee schedule services.

  • ASC Covered Procedures List Expansion

    February 19, 2026

    The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) expanded the Ambulatory Surgery Center Covered Procedures List (ASC-CPL) for CY2026 to include GI motility and functional testing procedures.

  • New Analysis Shows Majority of Care Denials Overturned

    February 19, 2026

    A new  analysis by KFF found Medicare Advantage insurers processed 52.8 million prior authorization requests in 2024. Of those requests, 4.1 million requests were either fully or partially denied.

  • Groups Ask CMS to Change Self-Administered Drug Exclusion Policy

    February 19, 2026

    ASGE has signed a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requesting a change in policy to ensure Part B coverage of physician-administered drug formulations when self-administration is not clinically appropriate or feasible.

  • Senate Committee Examines Contributors to Physician Burnout

    February 19, 2026

    The Senate Aging Committee held a hearing on February 11 on the subject of how administrative and regulatory red tape fuels physician burnout and impacts patient access to care.

  • NIH Director Questioned at Senate Hearing

    February 19, 2026

    Senate lawmakers had an opportunity to question National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, during a  hearing convened by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee on February 3.

  • Advance Advocacy Efforts to Reform MIPS by Sharing Your 2024 Feedback Reports

    February 12, 2026

    As part of advocacy efforts to improve the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) cost measures for physicians, your help is needed.

  • Case 35: POEM

    February 12, 2026

    A 55-year-old male with PMHx HTN, HLD, Type III Achalasia underwent POEM (per oral endoscopic myotomy) one month ago and is now being seen in your clinic for scheduled follow up.

  • ASGE Answers Your Coding Questions

    February 12, 2026

    Are there any federal or payer requirements to keep hard copies of coding books at each practice? Our coding staff work remotely with current materials, and I haven’t found a rule requiring on-site copies.

  • Aetna Coverage - ESG

    February 6, 2026

    ASGE, ACG, and AGA jointly urged Aetna to update its coverage policy so that endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG). Our goal is for Aetna to explicitly recognize ESG as a covered bariatric/endobariatric option.

  • CY2026 Tri-Society Coding Update

    February 5, 2026

    ASGE, ACG, and AGA released their jointly developed 2026 CPT Coding Updates for Gastroenterology. This tri‑society resource provides consolidated guidance on new, revised, and deleted codes affecting GI and endoscopic services in the 2026 calendar year.

  • CMS Announces Small Rate Bump for Medicare Advantage Plans

    February 5, 2026

    The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing an increase of 0.09 percent, or over $700 million, in Medicare Advantage (MA) payments to plans in CY 2027. By comparison, the rate increase was 5.06 percent for 2026.