An expert review on refractory constipation established 14 best practice statements addressing key clinical issues for the condition, including a “much more detailed and cautious framework for surgical decision-making.”
Commissioned by AGA and published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the review was “prompted by a persistent and important gap in clinical guidance,” according to lead author Kyle Staller, MD, MPH, gastroenterologist and director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“While chronic constipation is common and well covered in

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — In this Healio Video Perspective from Hawaiian Eye 2026, David F. Chang, MD, of Altos Eye Physicians, discusses how he combines lenses to improve patient satisfaction.
Chang said patients often have to choose between good night driving vision and reading glasses or a full range of vision and halos.
{{VIDEO}}
“There’s a lot of anxiety and decision over that,” he said. “It changes when we can give them this hybrid where we’re going to have good night vision in one eye with extra range but then that diffractive trifocal in the nondominant eye allows them enough near to see their

A commercial partnership between Topcon Healthcare and RemoniHealth is integrating the latter’s home-based ocular disease monitoring tools with Topcon’s screening technology, according to a press release.
“This partnership enables eye care providers to optimize their in-office time by pushing routine disease monitoring and care management into the home,” Ali Tafreshi, CEO and president of Topcon Healthcare, told Healio. “Clinic visits are then reserved for patients and conditions that truly require in-person care.”
Tafreshi explained the workflow of how the technologies are being integrated.

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — AI has the potential to transform cataract surgery outcomes for the better, according to a speaker.
Surgical planning, predictive analytics for patient recovery and postoperative assessments are a few areas where AI can provide a benefit to physicians, Karl G. Stonecipher, MD, said during a presentation at Hawaiian Eye 2026.
“I use it a lot for patient education,” he said. “I think [AI] can really simplify a lot of these administrative tasks.”
AI-driven preoperative screening programs can analyze slit lamp photos and OCT to help identify cataract severity, he said. Studies

Patients will soon have the option to integrate their medical records with popular AI programs, highlighting new dangers along with opportunities to bridge gaps in care, according to experts.
OpenAI announced ChatGPT Health — a new experience designed for wellness, according to a press release — on Jan. 7.
According to OpenAI, every week, more than 230 million people around the world ask ChatGPT health- or wellness-related questions. But the new feature will allow users to directly connect their medical records and wellness apps “to ground conversations” in a user’s

Cancer mortality has declined by more than 40% among younger people in the U.S. since 1990, according to study results.
Mortality due to four of the five most lethal cancers in this age group fell since 2014, but the death rate for colorectal cancer increased.
“Mortality is the best indicator for measuring progress against cancer,” Ahmedin Jemal, DVM, PhD, senior vice president of surveillance, prevention and health services research at American Cancer Society, told Healio. “From a societal point of view, the death rate in these younger age groups is extremely important, and overall the data

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — In this Healio Video Perspective from Hawaiian Eye 2026, Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD, of OCLI Vision, discusses the RayOne Galaxy IOL.
Donnenfeld said the RayOne Galaxy IOL (Rayner) is a spiral IOL with a continuous curvature. The smoother transition lowers the chance of glare and halos that patients might experience with other diffractive lenses, he said.
The IOL was launched in Europe last year and could be approved by the FDA by the end of 2026, Donnenfeld said.
“This lens has excellent distance, mid-range and near vision,” he said. “It has really very mild dysphotopsias. I’d

At the beginning of 2025, the American Heart Association released its annual statistics on heart disease, which sadly remains the leading cause of death in the U.S., accounting for more deaths each year than the next two causes combined.
The survey found heart disease risk factors continue to rise, and, if current trends continue, more than 180 million people in the U.S. — or nearly half of current population of the U.S. — may have hypertension by 2050.
Cardiologists may face what seems like an uphill battle when treating such a prevalent disease, but this does not have to continue. Expanding

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine, or ACLM, released a new expert consensus statement on the role of lifestyle medicine in the treatment and prevention of major depressive disorder.
“Despite a growing evidence base, lifestyle interventions remain underutilized in mental health care,” Gia Merlo, MD, MBA, MEd, DipABLM, FACLM, a clinical professor of psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and lead author of the statement, said in a press release. “This consensus statement provides clinicians with clarity on where experts agree and highlights practical

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — At Orthopedics Today Hawaii, William R. Beach, MD, spoke about coding orthopedic surgeon office visits and the CMS payment schedule for 2026.
“Most of the time, orthopedic surgeons’ office visits should be 99204 or 99214, and if you look at the specifics, we generally meet the requirements for a level four office visit,” Beach, orthopedic surgeon at Tuckahoe Orthopaedics, told Healio. “But be careful, because nowadays your office visits are probably as good of a source of revenue as the operating room.”
“Secondly, look at the CMS