In late January, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation teamed with AGA to present the Crohn’s & Colitis Congress® in Austin, Tex. Each year, this is the premier gathering for IBD experts and the rest of us to catch up on the substantial progress we are making in treating patients with IBD. This month, we highlight a number of articles from the Congress, including results showing how a focused IBD quality initiative reduced emergency department visits, an article about the effects of IBD on fertility, and the link between stress and ulcerative colitis flares. All of these articles are worth reading, since they can help our care of patients. On agau.gastro.org, you can access slides from the Congress.
Dr. John I. Allen
Several more articles deserve mention. Three articles from the AGA journals highlight new information about colorectal cancer prevention and the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer has updated colonoscopy follow-up guidance. In our practice management section, we provide a step-by-step guide to changes in evaluation and management (E/M) coding – these changes are the most impactful since the Medicare E/M documentation specifications first appeared.
We have 2 months left before Digestive Disease Week® (DDW). Each year, DDW marks the end of our AGA Institute President’s term and the beginning of another’s epoch. Hashem B. El-Serag will pass the gavel to Bishr Omary – both great friends and great gastroenterologists. I am happy to see that Gail Hecht follows me as this year’s AGA Julius Friedenwald Medal recipient (AGA’s highest honor). She, too, is a great friend and role model for me and many others. DDW returns to Chicago in early May, and once again will be the world’s best gathering of physicians and scientists dedicated to digestive diseases.
John I. Allen, MD, MBA, AGAF
Editor in Chief
