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Personalized Medicine – The New Normal
There are 7 billion people on Earth. We’re entering an age of remarkable potential for personalized medicine to save and improve lives like never before. ~forbes.com~
Your genome is a complete set of your DNA. It holds all information for creating and maintaining you. As a human, yours has more than 3 billion DNA base pairs.
In short, it’s your human blueprint, your personal instruction manual.
What if we told you that with a single buccal swab of the cheek, we could analyze your individual make-up and know what drugs your body can metabolize, and which ones you can’t? We can, it’s called personalized medicine.
Past: Trial-and-Error
Present: Targeted, Personalized Medicine
Medications and geriatrics:
When you are dealing in the geriatric population, time matters. Days matter. At PGx Medical, our goal is to educate healthcare professionals across the country on the tools and resources available. “One day, and one day soon, I believe this will be the new normal. Metabolic Validation, via pharmacogenomic testing, will be mandatory for everyone with medical necessity before prescribing medications. Doing away with the guess work and knowing exactly what a person has the ability to metabolize, that will be part of standard of care,” said Clay Bullard, President of PGx Medical.
It’s a misconception that this tool will tell you what to do. It is a resource available that maps out an individual’s blueprint. A road map of sorts. It will guide healthcare professionals when dosing patients and help take away the old “trial-and-error” process that we have lived by for so many years. Can you imagine knowing the “first” time that you are on the right medication? And that your body will metabolize it the way the manufacturer of the drug intended for you to?
That’s the beauty of personalized medicine.
This tool wasn’t designed to decrease the amount of medications a patient is on. But to help them get on the appropriate medications. Medications their body can metabolize. According to the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, on average, individuals 65 to 69 years old take nearly 14 prescriptions per year, individuals aged 80 to 84 take an average of 18 prescriptions per year. And 15% to 25% of drug use in seniors is considered unnecessary or otherwise inappropriate and 36% of all reported adverse drug reactions involve an elderly individual. And today there are over 43.1 million adults aged 65 and older in the United States; by 2040, that number will rise to 79.7 million. Those numbers are stagering when you think about drug use and healthcare costs in seniors.
Is it affordable?
Currently in the U.S. CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), reimburses for pharmacogenomic testing. In short, you could know exactly what medications your patients can metabolize and it is covered by Medicare B. Medicaid reimburses in select states, and most private insurance companies cover the test with normal copays and deductibles.
Personalized medicine has been around for decades. So why now?
Personalized medicine, via pharmacogenomic testing, has been around for many years. But up until the last 5 years, it wasn’t affordable. Now that insurance companies are covering the test and CMS is reimbursing for the test, it has now moved to the forefront of the healthcare industry and is seen as a way to help cut healthcare costs. But many healthcare professionals still aren’t aware this tool even exists – or that this is an option in their day-to-day care.
“We work with physicians that won’t see a patient until they have a pharmacogenomic test done first. If that patient has medical necessity, then those physicians make sure they have their patients on the right medications,” said Bullard. “It’s just part of their patient care.”
How do I get tested?
A pharmacogenomic test comes on a doctors order. For individuals who want to be tested, get with your physician and request a test. For physicians or pharmacists who want to include this in their patient care, contact us and we will get you the information necessary to get you started.
The PGx Medical Metabolic Validation Program is available to review on a secure online portal within 48 hours from the time our lab receives the sample.
Helping people live longer…better! That is our goal.
PGx Medical
Individualized Care – Personalized Medicine
www.pgxmed.com
info@pgxmed.com
405-509-5112
Sources: forbes.com, www.ascp.com
Pharmacogenetics: What makes PGx Medical different?
Are you considering implementing pharmacogenetics in your day-to-day patient care? If so, do your research.
As we travel across the country educating healthcare professionals on our PGx Medical Metabolic Validation Program, we hear over and over again about other companies in the market. Our response? We are grateful that healthcare professionals are taking the first step in learning more about pharmacogenetics and the benefits it will provide their patients and staff. And the long-term cost savings to the overall healthcare system. But, have they really done their homework and researched each company to find out what they provide? And most importantly, are they doing it in an ethical manor?
At PGx Medical, that’s all we do is pharmacogenetic testing. Our team of consultants are here to educate you on a tool that is available to help your patients live longer…better. We’re not here to tell you what you should do, or how you should treat your patients. We’re here to help you implement a program into your practice or home that will give you direction when dosing your patients. And that doesn’t always mean reducing medications – which could happen. But most importantly getting your patients on the “right” medications. Right drug, Right dose, Right person, that is our goal. And once testing is complete, we continue to maintenance the program so it is part of your day-to-day patient care.
But one of the biggest differences we hear over and over again is we give our clients the whole picture. At PGx Medical, we test 8 panels and report on 19 genes and receptor sites. Do we get reimbursed for all these genes? No. But we would only be giving you part of the puzzle if we only reported on the genes we are reimbursed on. Ask yourself, would you only treat a patient with subpar care? We wouldn’t either.
We also offer, free of charge, many services after testing that make it easy for your team to review results and make any necessary medication changes. Not to mention, our results are back within 48 hours from the time our laboratory receives your buccal swab sample. And when you are working in the LTC setting, or with geriatric patients, you can’t afford to wait two weeks for results.
We encourage our clients to do their research. Know who they are doing business with and know if a company offers them money in exchange for their services, it may not be legal and may be considered an inducement.
Just do your due diligence so that at the end of the day, you know, you are giving your patients/residents the best care possible and you are receiving all the necessary information to help you provide the best standard of care.
For more information on PGx Medical, contact one of our team members:
PGx Medical
Individulaized Care – Personalized Medicine
LeadingAge OK Partner
405-509-5112
info@pgxmed.com
Antipsychotics reduction goal raised to 30% by end of 2016
So what are you doing to help reduce antipsychotic medications in your home?
Currently, long-term care providers are being asked to reduce antipsychotic medications by 25% by the end of 2015, and that number will increase to 30% by the end of 2016.
“This is an area our program is focusing on”, said PGx Medical President, Clay Bullard. The PGx Metabolic Validation Program is a no-cost tool to help guide healthcare professionals when treating patients. The simple buccal swab helps determine which medications are being metabolized in each individual, and psychotropic medications are one of the panels analyzed by the program.
“By determining if an individual even has the ability to metabolize a medication will help you make a decision based on science rather than “trial & error” to see if that person is even capable of receiving therapy from the medication. You save so much time and money by eliminating the guessing game,” said Bullard.
In 2014, Bullard educated Oklahoma State Surveyors and was invited to speak at Provider Training meetings throughout the year.
“Why wouldn’t you use this program if it cost your home nothing and the resident nothing? But the best part is, while the mandate for reducing antipsychotics keeps going up, our tools and resources are becoming more wide-spead. We’re not here to tell you how to do your job, or what medications you should give your residents. We’re here as a resource to help educate and implement a tool that is available for your use to help your residents live longer…better!”
Bullard travels around the country educating healthcare professionals on “Metabolic Validation Testing – Rethinking Your Approach to Pharmaceutical Usage in LTC”
For more information on the PGx Medical Metabolic Validation Program. Or to schedule Clay to speak, contact:
PGx Medical
405-509-5112
info@pgxmed.com
www.pgxmed.com
PGx Medical and Pharmacogenetic Testing
PGx Medical provides test results that provide clinicians with valuable patient-specific information to make better therapeutic treatment decisions.
Pharmacogenetics uses information about a person’s genetic makeup, or genome, to choose drugs and drug doses that are likely to work best for that particular person.
What causes so much variablity in drug response among individuals?
Much of the variation in drug response is a result of genetic differences and drug interactions in addition to environmental factors such as diet and lifestyle.
How do genomic differences cause this variablity?
Research shows that genes of the cytochrome P450 family directly correlate with how individuals metabolize many common psychiatric medications. If a clinician knows ahead of time tht a resident would metabolize certain drugs too quickly (UM) or slowly (PM), they can make more informed medication decisions and reduce the likelihood of side effects and medication failures.
How does PGx help a clinician with medication management?
PGx Medical provides the clinician with a personalized report indicating which medications may be more or less appropriate based on the individuals metabolic profile.
Which genes are analyzed?
We analyze multiple genes of the cytochrome P450 family linked to a person’s metabolic capabilities for many medication categories. In addition to cytochrome P450, we analyze 19 genes associated with medication response.
Which medications are included in the reports?
Over 100 of the most commonly prescribed, FDA-approved medications in the following categories:
Behavioral Health: Antidepressants, anti-anxieties, and anti-psychotics
Pain: Analgesic medications
Cardiovascular: Cardio and anti-coagulants
Is it affordable?
Medicare B covers 100% of the testing cost and PGx Medical does not balance bill. We also have medicaid coverage in many states. In addition, many commercial insurance plans reimburse for the testing.
How do I get more information on the PGx Medical Metabolic Validation program?
Contact one of our consultants across the country.
Call: 405-509-5112
Email: info@pgxmed.com
RIGHT DRUG, RIGHT DOSE, RIGHT PERSON
LeadingAge Oklahoma Announces Partnership With PGx Medical!
LeadingAge Oklahoma is excited to announce our strategic partnership with PGx Medical. The PGx Metabolic Validation Program allows for a personalized/unique patient report validating the patient is getting the right drug, in the right dose, for the right diagnosis, based upon how each individual patient metabolizes certain medications. This helps eliminate unnecessary medications, reduce possible side effects, help maintain mobility, reduce falls, and avoid drug on drug interaction that can have significant and often negative effects.
PGx Medical helps facilities and communities gain an understanding of the role metabolic validation testing can and should have within the care provided to older Oklahomans. They also educate the facility owners, physicians, administrators, and staff as to the value the test results can have on the bottom line and helping their residents be more active and age in place.
We chose to partner with PGx for three very specific reasons. First, we have seen in many of our members’ facilities that this tool can have a tremendously positive effect with residents they serve. Secondly, PGx has been advocating with the Oklahoma Department of Health with ongoing training for the State Surveyors and speaking at the State Education Symposiums throughout the 2014 calendar year to help with CMS Psychotropic Med Reduction and Unnecessary Med Reductions Initiatives. Thirdly, this technology should inspire us all to look at what we are doing and realizing that new tools are available to provide better care and accessible with NO COST to our members.
We encourage you to reach out to PGx Medical to have them educate your team of caregivers on the value this tool can provide and work with your physicians and encourage them to work with you to provide the best care possible with the best tools available.
The PGx website is www.pgxmed.com and they can be reached via phone at 405.509.5112.
Adverse Events Lead To Increasing Healthcare Costs
Personalized medicine can address a significant unmet need by improving efficacy and safety, reducing healthcare costs, and promoting patient adherence.
Did you know…
- $289 billion – cost of adverse events in the United States annually
- 33% – 50% – rate of medication nonadherence, which impacts drug efficacy
- >76% – percent of Americans aged 60 and over who use two or more prescription drugs – 37% use five or more
- 20% – percent of drugs that account for 90% of all reported adverse events
- 43 – drugs withdrawn from the market between 1990 to 2012 due to severe adverse events
- 100,000 – emergency hospitalzations annually among >65 year old adults due to adverse events
- 7x – greater risk for older Americans vs. younger Americans to have adverse events requiring hospitalization
For more information, or to implement the Metabolic Validation Program, via pharmacogenomic testing into your home, clinic or pharmacy, contact:
PGx Medical
Individualized Care – Personalized Medicine
info@pgxmed.com
405-509-5112