About IDDC

Iowa Digestive Disease Center has origins dating back to 1972 when Diagnostic Gastroenterology Associates was incorporated. Several physicians joined the group over the following years finally resulting in the eleven physicians and 4 advanced practice nurses we have today. In 1999 the group changed its name to Iowa Digestive Disease Center to better reflect the scope of care and services provided.

The group continuously explores ways to improve service and care to the community with the following notable expansions:

• In 1987 William J. Semon joined the practice and subsequently created the Iowa Liver Center – the first clinic to focus on liver disease in the community. Dr. Ravi Vemulapalli, Dr. Raj Iyer and Maria Steele, ARNP took over the center following the untimely death of Dr. Semon. The center offers a full range of well-coordinated diagnostic, treatment and support services to care for people with diseases of the liver and biliary tract in central and western Iowa. The center partners with the University of Iowa Organ Transplant Center to provide advanced liver services close to home.
• In 1993 Certificate of Need approval was sought and granted for an ambulatory surgery center – this resulted in the creation of the Iowa Endoscopy Center the following year. (add photos) Accreditation was sought and approved by the Joint Commission then by the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). The ASGE Endoscopy Unit Recognition Program honors endoscopy units that have demonstrated a commitment to patient safety and quality in endoscopy as evidenced by meeting the program’s rigorous criteria, which includes following the ASGE guidelines on privileging, quality assurance, endoscope reprocessing, CDC infection control guidelines and ensuring endoscopy staff competency.
• Infusion Services were initiated to relieve patients of the burden of hospital-based infusion expenses and to provide ease of access to care.
• Dr. Leman developed the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center the first and only service in the community focusing on this serious illness. The Iowa Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center (IBD Center) offers integrated patient-centered care for adult and pediatric patients in need of treatment for inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The Iowa IBD Center is a collaborative initiative of the Iowa Digestive Disease Center, the Colorectal Surgeons of the Iowa Clinic, the Children’s Center at Mercy Pediatric Subspecialty Clinic.
• Advanced Therapeutic services were initiated with the addition of Dr. Stacey Roberts in 2002 and Dr. Tercio Lopes in 2012. These advanced procedures, including endoscopic ultrasound have saved many lives in the community.

Our current location opened in 2006 and allowed us to co-locate all services in one single, easy access location. Here we are able to provide outpatient surgery, clinics and infusion in a seamless manner.