One GI, the Nashville-based network of independent gastroenterology practices, has announced a partnership with Oshi Health to address a growing capacity crisis in GI care. Through Oshi’s Access+ program, One GI member practices can now access GI-trained Advanced Practice Providers as dedicated virtual staff, extending clinical availability without adding headcount or administrative overhead.
HotSpot Take
One GI has partnered with Oshi Health to deploy GI-trained virtual Advanced Practice Providers across its independent practice network through Oshi’s Access+ program. The arrangement gives One GI practices access to same-day, evening, and weekend appointment capacity, while Oshi’s multidisciplinary team, including registered dietitians and behavioral health providers, extends the clinical scope available to patients with chronic GI conditions and Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction. The partnership is now live in select locations.
Why Independent GI Practices Are Running Out of Room
The capacity pressure driving this partnership is well-documented. According to the AMN Healthcare 2025 Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times, new patients seeking gastroenterology care in major metropolitan markets wait an average of 40 days for an appointment, a figure that in some cities climbs as high as 208 days. The shortage extends beyond urban centers: research published in Gastroenterology found that nearly 70% of U.S. counties have no practicing gastroenterologist, leaving roughly 49 million people without local access to specialty GI care.
For independent practices, the challenge is structural. Growing patient volumes collide with finite physician time, a constrained pipeline of new specialists, and the administrative demands of running a practice. Hiring additional staff is expensive and slow. Referring chronic patients out means losing continuity of care and revenue.
“Demand for GI care is outpacing the traditional capacity of even the best-run practices.” — Michael S. Dragutsky, MD, FACP, FACG, Chairman, One GI
“Demand for GI care is outpacing the traditional capacity of even the best-run practices,” said Michael S. Dragutsky, MD, FACP, FACG, Chairman of One GI. “This partnership is about staying ahead of that and making sure our patients can get in when they need to, see the right provider for their situation, and stay connected to our practices throughout their care journey. Oshi gives us the infrastructure to do that in a way that feels completely native to how we already operate.”
Virtual APPs, Managed Like In-House Staff
Virtual clinical staffing models are giving independent GI practices new tools to address rising patient demand without expanding physical footprint.
The Access+ model is designed to function as a transparent extension of existing practice operations. Oshi’s GI-trained APPs operate under the practice’s tax ID, chart within the practice’s existing EMR, and follow the practice’s clinical protocols. Front-desk teams manage their schedules the same way they would for any in-house provider. Physicians maintain oversight of every patient interaction.
The practical effect is expanded appointment availability without a corresponding expansion in overhead. In select locations, one GI practice now offers same-day, evening, and weekend visits with Oshi’s virtual clinical team, appointment windows that are otherwise difficult to staff under traditional employment models.
Oshi’s earlier-published financial analysis of the Access+ program found that partner practices can realize more than $1 million in annual financial return per APP equivalent, across net visit collections and increased physician time freed for higher-acuity procedures. According to the company, the arrangement is designed to reduce patient leakage to emergency departments and competing practices when patients cannot secure timely appointments.
Multidisciplinary Scope as a Practice Differentiator
The partnership goes beyond adding appointment capacity. One GI practices gain access to Oshi’s broader clinical team, including registered dietitians and behavioral health providers specializing in gut-brain health. These clinicians are available to patients managing Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction (DGBIs) and chronic GI conditions as an integrated part of their care, covered by insurance, rather than as a separate referral that the practice never sees again.
For GI practices, DGBI represents a significant and often inadequately addressed portion of their patient population. Conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome involve overlapping dietary, psychological, and physiological factors that single-clinician visits are poorly suited to address at scale. Folding registered dietitian and behavioral health support into the practice’s care offering addresses that gap while keeping patients within the practice’s orbit.
“Independent GI practices are facing a real tension with growing patient demand on one side and finite capacity on the other,” said Sameer Berry, MD, MBA, Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Oshi Health. “What we’ve built with One GI resolves that imbalance without asking them to change what’s working. Their physicians, their protocols, their patient relationships — we just make it possible to do more with all of it.”
Outcomes Data Behind the Model
Oshi’s clinical approach is supported by published research. A clinical trial evaluating Oshi’s multidisciplinary GI care model found 92% of patients reported symptom improvement, 89% reported improvement in quality of life, and avoidable GI-related emergency department visits fell by 64%. Oshi has also presented research at the American College of Gastroenterology’s annual meetings demonstrating improved outcomes and reduced costs across diverse patient populations, including those with inflammatory bowel disease and Medicare-aged adults.
The company’s payer relationships provide additional infrastructure for scale. Oshi Health is in-network for more than 63 million covered lives, according to the company, giving One GI practices a virtual clinical team that is already credentialed and accessible through major insurance plans.
Patient Access as the Underlying Logic
Both partners frame the arrangement in terms of patient outcomes. A patient who secures a same-day or after-hours appointment is more likely to receive a timely diagnosis, complete recommended procedures, and maintain a long-term relationship with their care team. The alternative, waiting weeks for an opening or landing in an emergency department for a non-emergency GI complaint, carries direct clinical consequences and higher costs across the system.
For One GI’s network of independent practices, the partnership helps preserve the physician-led, locally rooted character of independent GI care while adding scheduling flexibility and clinical breadth that patients increasingly expect.
— This original article was created with AI support.
