Skip to main content

gMed and IBS Awareness Month

Published Date
Author Aaron Stoklosa

 

Did you know that April is National IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) Awareness Month? With our offerings in the gastroenterology space, I thought it would be useful to share some information not only about the disease that affects 1 in 7 Americans, but also on the products that help physicians provide better care to their patients.

Did you know…

  • IBS affects between 25 and 45 million people in the U.S., which is about 10-15% of the population.
  • There are more than 200,000 diagnosed cases each year in the U.S.
  • Most those affected are under the age of 50.
  • Approximately 20-40% of all visits to gastroenterologists are due to IBS symptoms.
  • The exact cause is unknown and there is no cure.

Source: International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders

What does gMed, a Modernizing Medicine company have to do with this?
Our clients certainly say it best: improving the overall patient experience is one of the benefits that using gastroenterology-specific products and services provides.

gMed™, a Modernizing Medicine company, was founded in 1997 and is the gastroenterology-specific market leader for electronic health record (EHR) systems, serving almost 20% of the market. In fact, gMed’s gGastro™ earned Black Book Rankings’ award for Top Ambulatory EHR systems for gastroenterology for five consecutive years. The gGastro system was designed to fully automate clinical documentation and procedure reporting needs.

Dr. Richard L. Nemec of Winchester Gastroenterology Associates shared how his experience with gGastro has helped improve the patient experience. “One of the things I really like about gGastro is the ability to do what’s called time task,” stated Dr. Nemec. “Let’s say I get an x-ray and it says this person should have a follow-up x-ray in six months. How am I supposed to remember that with thousands and thousands of patients? In the old days, I used to use Excel spreadsheet and Tickler files, but even that became too cumbersome. On any given day I will have 10-15 reminders for me that someone needs to have something done. Maybe it is a follow-up colonoscopy, maybe it’s an x-ray that needs to be done. Or maybe their labs were abnormal three months ago, and I said they need to follow-up with labs in three months. What gGastro has allowed me to do is provide consistent and better care. I do not have to depend on the patients actually showing up to my practice to get on-going care. Instead, I can be proactive and say, ‘I’m going to take care of you and I’m going make sure these issues are addressed.’”

Chris Oubre, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Covenant Surgical Partners, shared another benefit to both patients and business overall when he stated, “The real-time data that gGastro generates allows our physicians, clinicians and operators to make better decisions which improve patient outcomes and ultimately lead to a healthier business.”

Improving patient care is one of the benefits that impacts everyone and gMed is pleased to share this positive outcome from our product offerings.