• Posted February 17, 2025

Can't Find a Gastroenterologist? You're Not Alone

Nearly 50 million Americans live in counties with no local gastroenterologist.

Gastroenterologists diagnose and treat disorders affecting the GI tract -- from gallstones and gastric reflux to colon cancer. A team led by Dr. Xiaohan Ying of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City analyzed federal data to determine where gastroenterologists work. 

Ying's team recently reported in the journal Gastroenterology that 2,183 (69.3%) of 3,149 counties analyzed had not a single gastroenterologist. Those counties are home to 49.4 million people.

Another 531 counties (16.8%) had fewer than five gastroenterologists. 

Counties without gastroenterologists were more likely to be rural and poorer. 

"Gastrointestinal diseases have a significant impact on patients and the US healthcare system," Ying's team wrote. "Geographic disparities in access to physicians have widened, and unmet needs in gastroenterology care persist and may worsen."

More than 75% of residents in Wyoming and Arizona lived more than 25 miles away from their nearest gastroenterologist, and more than half of the residents in Wyoming lived more than 50 miles away, the authors noted.

Alaska, North Dakota and Wyoming had the lowest proportions of gastroenterologists per 100,000 people, while Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York had the highest.

The authors noted that there's an increased need for gastroenterologists as the population ages and digestive/liver diseases become more common. 

They also point out that "as the rate of colorectal cancer rises, rural residents without access to gastroenterologists and screening colonoscopy may be disproportionately impacted."

The authors concluded that "while there is adequate access to gastroenterologists on a national level generally, with over 80% of the population in the United States living within 25 miles of the nearest gastroenterologist, further efforts are needed to expand access to gastroenterologists and improve equity."

More information

The Cleveland Clinic has more on gastrointestinal diseases.

SOURCE: Gastroenterology, Feb. 6, 2025; Weill Cornell Medicine, news release, Feb. 6, 2025