Becker's Healthcare January 21, 2026
Patsy Newitt

Gastroenterology reimbursement continues to erode under Medicare and commercial payment models, even as operating costs, staffing pressures and inflation rise.

From steep long-term inflation-adjusted cuts to new 2026 ASC reductions, here are 10 data points illustrating how reimbursement trends are reshaping GI practice economics:

1. Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, Medicare will reduce payments for GI endoscopy services performed in ASCs by an average of 8%, while increasing reimbursement for office-based E/M visits.

2. Between 2018 and 2023, inflation-adjusted Medicare payments to physicians for colonoscopies declined by more than 22%, according to The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

3. Over the same five-year period, inflation-adjusted Medicare payments for esophagogastroduodenoscopies also fell by more than 22%.

4. From 2007 to 2022, unadjusted GI...

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