Quality and Experience Matter for Your Colonoscopy

A colonoscopy is a safe and effective screening tool that can actually prevent colorectal cancer. In most cases, YOU have a choice on where to go and who performs this important procedure, and it’s vital to understand why quality and experience matter when doing your research.

Two important questions to consider:

1. Doesn't every gastroenterologist perform a high-quality colonoscopy? The answer is NO!
2. Does it really matter where I get my procedure? The answer is YES!

Our Team

While gastroenterologists are all trained to perform colonoscopies, upper endoscopies, and other endoscopic procedures, there are quality measures for procedures such as colonoscopies that your gastroenterologist should be collecting to determine if they are a high-quality provider.

At RGA, we collect established quality data on our physicians every year that measure very important parameters, including how often we can visualize the entire colon from the rectum to the cecum (cecal intubation rate), as well as the number of precancerous polyps we detect at colonoscopy (known as the adenoma detection rate, or ADR).

RGA doctors detect polyps 200% more often than what is considered acceptable. And while all complications can't be prevented, RGA physicians have major complication rates that are 20 times lower than what is considered acceptable, and bleeding rates that are four times lower after a polyp is removed.

When it comes to experience, our doctors have cared for patients at RGA for an average of 13 years. Our advanced nurse practitioners have an average of nearly six years of gastrointestinal (GI) experience working at RGA. In addition, our physician employment contracts mandate that our doctors live in Winnebago or Boone counties because we believe physicians have a greater investment in the community they serve when they live in it.

Your GI doctor’s training also matters. Our physicians are all board certified in gastroenterology and have trained at renowned centers, including Cleveland Clinic, Harvard University, Mayo Clinic and Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Chicago, among other academic medical centers.

Our Facility

RGA’s endoscopy center is also accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), a leader in developing standards to advance and promote patient safety, quality care and value. RGA’s endoscopy center has maintained our AAAHC accreditation since we first applied in 2003.

RGA’s endoscopy center also has been recognized for being at the forefront of patient care and safety through the Endoscopy Unit Recognition Program by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). It’s an honor we have proudly held since 2009, and our unit was one of the first in the country to receive this recognition.

The endoscopy center is where our physicians perform GI procedures, and the recognition process looks at several quality and safety factors, including the quality of preparation during a colonoscopy. Many of our providers belong to the ASGE and participate in continuing education and journal reviews to improve care for our patients.

We remain the only ASGE-recognized center between the greater Chicago suburbs and Madison.

By adhering to nationally recognized standards, you can trust in your choice of RGA for your digestive health care needs in the Rockford region.

This is what quality and experience in GI care look like. This is what you deserve and what you can expect at RGA.

Call us today at v or click here to make an appointment.