September 25, 2024

Why health systems are buying into genomics

Featuring Pediatrics Genetic Counselor, Mallory Wagner.

Author: Gabriel Perna   

Research institutions such as Mount Sinai and University of Michigan Medicine are receiving grant funding from the National Institutes of Health to jumpstart their genomics programs. In June, Michigan Medicine received $10 million from NIH to establish the Michigan Infectious Disease Genomics Center, which will study the genomics of infectious diseases.

That is only part of the genomics work at University of Michigan Medicine, which has begun to employ genetic counselors that use testing and analysis to determine potential diagnoses for patients. Genetic testing software has taken a process that used to take months and shortened it to one month on the outpatient side and seven days on the inpatient side, said Mallory Wagner, a pediatric genetic counselor.

Mallory Wagner
Mallory Wagner
Pediatric Genetic Counselor

“We can see a family the day after their baby is born, send them this test, talk about why it's important to do this test and have an answer for them by the time their baby turns 10 days old,” Wagner said.

Insurance coverage has improved too, which makes patients more willing to undergo the testing. The cost for genetic testing varies and can be up to $4,000 without coverage, according to NIH data.

The process isn’t without its technical challenges. It can be cumbersome to integrate genetic testing data into a electronic health record system because Michigan Medicine must stay compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Wagner said. It is relying on old technologies to get genetic testing reports in the hands of clinicians. “Faxing is one of the safest ways to get things sent over,” Wagner said. "I will get a notification via secure email that there's a report ready for me on the laboratories portal, or I will get it faxed to me, and then I have to send it to my team to get it uploaded into the chart.”

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