Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

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Abstract
GASTROINTESTINAL endoscopy has grown over the past 25 years from a technical curiosity mastered by a handful of physicians to a major component of our health care system. The volume and total cost of gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures have recently been increasing at a rapid rate. A British survey has suggested that upper gastrointestinal endoscopy will soon be performed in 1 percent of the population annually.1 Between 1983 and 1986, Medicare payments to gastroenterologists increased by 72 percent, with payments for procedures accounting for 84 percent of the increase.2 The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy has expanded rapidly and now has . . .