Tele-GI at USC

HIMSS article on our collaboration with Keck School of Medicine at USC

Keck Hospital and School of Medicine of USC makes powerful strides with tele-GI

By Bill Siwicki | January 17, 2023

Patients requiring upper or lower gastrointestinal diagnostics normally have to present to a hospital or clinic for a tube-based endoscopy. The capacities for these procedures are constrained by infrastructure (rooms, endoscopes, etc.) and expert personnel (doctors, nurses, technicians and administrators).

THE PROBLEM

Even without the unparalleled pressure from the pandemic, meeting demand can be costly and is often not available locally at all – especially in rural environments and places serving underprivileged communities.

“Video capsule endoscopy offers an alternative test that can be delivered in an outpatient setting, is minimally invasive, and can principally be scaled up and down rather seamlessly,” said Dr. Rome Jutabha, professor of clinical medicine in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at Keck Hospital, and director of clinical outreach and development for the Keck School of Medicine of USC in Los Angeles.

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