Patient Care

Dear patients,

During these challenging times we remain committed to providing you the safe, high-quality, compassionate care you deserve and have come to expect from us. We also understand that decisions about receiving care during this time can be confusing.

 

Clinic Appointments:

If you have an upcoming outpatient clinic appointment, we encourage you to keep it. Now is not the time to ignore health concerns or conditions that need medical attention.

 

Prior to any appointments, your physician will determine whether you can be seen virtually (by phone or video) or if you need to come for an in-person visit.

 

If a virtual visit is recommended, our office will contact you to set it up. These visits are a way of receiving high-quality care without needing to leave home. If you would like to schedule a video or phone visit with your provider, please call our office at 984-974-5050.

 

If you require in-person clinic visit, we will follow precautions to keep you safe, including pre-visit screenings, use of surgical masks, and limits to the number of accompanying family members.

 

GI Procedure Appointments: 

We have instituted new processes to keep you safe during your GI procedure (e.g. upper endoscopy, colonoscopy).

 

Prior to scheduling your appointment you will speak with a nurse who will pre-screen you for COVID-like symptoms and also schedule you for a COVID test, which is now required within 48-72 hours of the procedure appointment.

 

On the day of the procedure, you (and all team members) will wear a surgical mask. We will also limit the number of accompanying family members, and closely follow physical distancing guidelines within our waiting rooms and procedure units. If you have additional questions, please call our office at 984-974-5050.

 

We appreciate the trust you place in us and remain committed to providing you with safe, high-quality, compassionate care during this pandemic and after it finally passes. Please contact us with any question.

 

Sincerely,

UNC Gastroenterology & Hepatology

 

The UNC Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology is the premier academic practice in North Carolina and among the top programs nationwide. Faculty members are widely recognized for their expertise, clinical skills, and dedication to patients. We have more of America’s Best Doctors® than the GI faculty of any other GI practice in the Southeastern United States. UNC gastroenterologists have written many of the national guidelines for diagnosing and treating digestive and liver diseases. Each year we staff more than 25,000 clinic visits and perform more than 20,000 GI endoscopic procedures and 3,500 motility procedures. We strive to deliver high quality, personalized, and compassionate care to each person we treat. 99% of patients cared for in our outpatient clinic and 97% of patients treated in our GI procedure units would recommend us to a friend. Ongoing programs aim to continuously improve quality of care and patient experiences. When indicated, we work closely with GI surgeons and other specialists, UNC HCS dieticians provide dietary and nutritional counseling, and a GI psychologist performs psychological assessments and provides therapy.

Our specialties include:

GI Procedures Units

Within our three state-of-the art GI Procedures Units we perform a full range of screening, diagnostic, and therapeutic GI endoscopic procedures including screening colonoscopy, upper endoscopy, and more advanced procedures.

GI Motility Unit

Our nationally renowned motility unit provides upper GI motility testing (most commonly for difficulty swallowing, heartburn, and regurgitation), and lower GI motility testing (generally for constipation, fecal incontinence, and rectal pain).

General GI Clinic

The General Gastroenterology Clinic provides expert consultations (office visits) and ongoing care for patients with a full spectrum of acute and chronic gastrointestinal conditions, from the simple to the complex.

The Center for Esophageal Diseases and Swallowing Disorders

CEDAS is widely recognized for providing expert diagnosis and management of all types of esophageal and swallowing disorders, including Barrett’s esophagus, esophageal cancer, motility disorders, eosinophilic esophagitis, and reflux disease.

UNC Center for Functional GI and Motility Disorders

A clinic for patients with functional GI and motility disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), abdominal pain, chronic constipation, chronic diarrhea, chronic nausea, and fecal incontinence.

UNC Multidisciplinary Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease is dedicated to care of patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. With seven faculty gastroenterologist experts in IBD, along with our surgical partners, the Center is among the largest and most highly regarded IBD programs in the nation.

UNC Liver Center

At the UNC Liver Center, a multi-disciplinary team led by six physician experts (hepatologists) diagnose and manage all types of chronic liver diseases. There are specialized clinics for viral hepatitis and liver transplantation.

UNC High-Risk Gastrointestinal Cancer Clinic

The UNC High-Risk Gastrointestinal Cancer Clinic provides risk assessment, genetic testing and counseling services, individualized screening and treatment protocols for individuals who may be at high risk for colon and other GI cancers.