In the News

Dr. Bryan Green traveled to Washington DC recently as the immediate past President of the Digestive Disease National Coalition (DDNC) for its March Legislative Advocacy Day.  Dr. Green met with Legislators on Capitol Hill to advocate of passage of the Safe Step Act as well as the HELP Copays Act. The Safe Step Act would help reduce step therapy by which insurance companies require patients to try and fail a less effective medication prior to covering the more effective medication thus exposing patients to undue suffering. The HELP Copays Act would eliminate copay accumulator programs that are a tool used by health insurance plans to limit their own expenses by preventing copay assistance programs from counting towards a patient’s deductible. This shifts cost from the insurance company to patients.

The DDNC is a national advocacy organization for patients with digestive illnesses. In conjunction with its member organizations, DDNC seeks to raise awareness of digestive diseases in Congress and in the media. There are over 40 organizations within the DDNC including the American Gastroenterology Association, Celiac disease Foundation, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, Colon Cancer Alliance, and a number of state gastroenterology associations including the South Carolina Gastroenterology Association. 

Dr. Bryan Green was a key note speaker at the recent Colon Cancer Prevention Network 15th Anniversary Meeting in Charleston. He gave one talk entitled: Colorectal cancer screening eligibility criteria: How can we reach more patients in the future? He gave a second talk the following day entitled: How can we foster collaboration between primary care providers and gastroenterologists to address follow-up care in SC?

The Colon Cancer Prevention Network (CCPN) is a partnership between South Carolina Gastroenterologists who volunteer to do free colonoscopies for underserved patients throughout the state and the Center for Colon Cancer Research at the University of South Carolina. Through this cooperation the CCPN has screened over 1,400 patients. Hundreds of precancerous colon polyps have been removed preventing cancers and saving lives. The CCPN and Dr. Green have been recognized by numerous national organizations for their efforts to offer colon cancer screening to all citizens of South /Carolina regardless of their insurance coverage.