by brant bullard | Sep 18, 2015 | Metabolic Validation Program
Pharmacogenetic Testing is a tool to help decrease bad outcomes.
When educating Long Term Care and Assisted Living facilities, one common theme we hear is, “we don’t have a need” or “we will only test residents who have a need”. So who determines the residents that need it the most? How do you know that a memory care resident is getting the therapy needed to alleviate their pain? Or that a resident with behavorial problems is really just taking the wrong medications and they don’t even have the ability to metabolize them? That is the value of pharmacogenetic testing. Knowing from the inside out a persons genetic makeup.
For too long now, medication has been a guessing game. Let’s try a medication for a few weeks and if we don’t see a change, let’s try something else. Or even worse, let’s throw something else on top of that one and see if it helps. Adding a list of medications that may, or maynot be working.
Why not determine and “validate” up front the medications that work best for each individual and then proceed with a pharmaceutical regimen. A medical plan of action is what we like to call it. A proper med-effective dosage means less falls, less behavorial issues and a decrease risk of side effects.
Metabolic Validation, via pharmacogenetic testing is a great way to help your residents and has the potential to help maximize profitability due to the cost saving in medication and re-hospitalization.
At PGx Medical, it is our goal to help educate and implement this program in homes across the country. Our goal with LeadingAge, OFMQ, OAHCP and the OK Dept of Health – LTC Division is to help educate and share the message – Prevention Decreases Bad Outcomes.
For more information on pharmacogenetic testing, or to schedule a meeting with PGx Medical, contact:
PGx Medical
Individualized Care – Personalized Medicine
405-509-5112
info@pgxmed.com
by brant bullard | Sep 14, 2015 | News
Clay Bullard, CEO of PGX Medical, designed a genetic test that allows a doctor to quickly identify the best drug to prescribe for patients who suffer from chronic blood and heart conditions. (Photo by Brent Fuchs)
EDMOND – Dr. Stuart Schrader has a new method to improve the way he prescribes drugs. The owner of Crossway Medical Clinic uses a genetic test to understand how a patient metabolizes some medications, tailoring prescriptions for individuals.
The test allows Schrader to quickly identify the best drug to prescribe for patients who suffer from chronic blood and heart conditions, rather than a trial-and-error basis, he said. It also is more effective in determining drug interactions and is better than using a physician’s desk reference, he said.
Clay Bullard, CEO of
PGX Medical, designed the test and works with physicians to recommend its use. A simple cheek swab gathers information for a lab in California to examine 19 genes. Those genes are commonly associated with arthritis pain; anxiety, depression and psychosis; high blood pressure and high cholesterol; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; and other conditions.
Pharmacogenetic testing has been around for about 19 years, but recently the cost for genetic testing dropped dramatically, he said. Bullard had the idea to develop the company when his wife’s physician recommended the test about 10 years ago. She wasn’t getting results from her rheumatoid arthritis treatment, and the doctor said the genetic screening could better determine which medicine would work well for her.
Bullard said he hoped more doctors will choose the test, particularly for the geriatric population. He is working with the state Department of Health to educate nursing home owners about the test, as a way to reduce the number of psychotropic drugs taken by people in assisted living centers.
Yet geriatric researcher Mark Stratton disagrees that the test is useful for a broad swath of the elderly. The University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy professor wrote in an emailed statement to The Journal Record that pharmacogenetic testing research is an emerging area, but evidence doesn’t yet support that testing for geriatric patients.
That type of genetic testing is useful for patients with potentially terminal illnesses, such as AIDS or breast cancer, whose diseases have not otherwise responded to typical treatment, Stratton wrote. Pharmacogenetic screening provides one piece of information in a very complex medical situation, and a patient’s response to medication is affected by more than one’s genes, he wrote.
Schrader said the test has been useful for geriatric patients to determine the minimal dose for chronic conditions. In addition, the test has been effective for patients who suffer from migraine headaches and haven’t responded to typical treatment, he said. In four months he’s recommended the test for more than 200 patients at his primary care practice in Oklahoma City.
For patients whose conditions haven’t been successfully treated with commonly prescribed medications, the test is important to help convince the patient to allow him to continue looking for the right drug, Schrader said.
“When one type of medication didn’t work well and they’ve given up on that class of drugs entirely, we can show them they can work with these genetic tests,” he said. “We can help ease the anxiety and show how the medicine will metabolize in the body.”
by brant bullard | Sep 13, 2015 | News
So you are thinking about implementating pharmacogenectic testing in your senior community. Who should you test?
Recently as we have been educating healthcare professionals regarding pharmacogenetic testing, we have been told, “Our physicians don’t want to blanket test. And the last company that was in here said that is what we need to do.”
Blanket testing your residents is not the proper protocol by either PGx Medical or CMS. Pharmacogenetic testing is for residents with medical necessity. In other words, anyone who is on a prescription drug, poly-pharmacy, physician is considering placing them on, or has a comorbidity associated with one or more of the following panels has medical necessity (depression, anxiety, psych, cardio, pain, anti-coag, ADHD or thrombophila).
As a healthcare professional, you can treat symptoms and you can “react” to side effects. But how can you be certain if a medication is, or is not working? Or even has the possibility to work before prescribing? If a person tells you they are in pain, you can assume their pain medication isn’t working. You might even throw something else on top of the prescription they are already taking to help ease the pain. By doing this, you are creating a cascading effect that could possibly turn toxic if they are a poor metabolizer of the medication. So how would you know if a cardio medication isn’t working? Or a psych medication? Sometimes you don’t…until it’s too late.
Testing all residents in a senior community isn’t the answer. Testing residents who are on multiple medications but don’t show any symptoms is what we call, Metabolic Validation. You are validating that the medications they are taking are working…or are not working. But you are putting together a medical plan of action.
This once-in-a-lifetime test can be used not only to validate the medication the resident is currently taking, but it gives you pinpoint accurate options for future prescribing.
The PGx Medical Metabolic Validation Program gives healthcare professionals a guide, or roadmap of medications that will metabolize in each individual resident. Allowing the physician to know ahead of time what medications have the ability to metabolize allowing for pinpoint accurate prescribing and confirmation of current regimen of medications.
So what if your phyician only wants to test residents on an “as needed” basis?
Testing “as needed” usually means you have exhausted all efforts. You’ve tried the trial-and-error process and that hasn’t worked. Now testing is your last resort.
That is exactly what you are trying to avoid. Residents in senior communities sometimes don’t have the luxury of waiting for their medications to work, their mobility, and quality of life depends on it. So if you test them prior to the fall, prior to the re-hospitalization and prior to the adverse drug event – you have happier and healthier residents, billable beds and staff that can spend more time making life more enjoyable rather than dealing with behavioral issues.
PGx Medical is known for our continuing education. We want to make sure you understand the program before you test your residents and we are there on the back-end to assist you in implementing results.
If you are interested in more education, having PGx Medical speak at your next event, or doing a webinar for your healthcare team, let us know. Our job, is to make your job, easier.
PGx Medical
Individualized Care – Personalized Medicine
405-509-5112
info@pgxmed.com
by brant bullard | Sep 11, 2015 | Metabolic Validation Program
The PGx Medical Metabolic Validation Program, via pharmacogentic testing
At PGx Medical, our goal is to educate healthcare professionals across the country on the value and benefits of pharmacogenetic testing (PGx).
Pharmacogenetic testing can stop the “trail-and-error” or guessing by providing information about the metabolic phenotype of your patient that translates into a clinical action plan to guide your choice of therapy and dose.
Pharmacogenetic testing will help guide physicians to target treatment and medications to patient’s genetics. Allowing them to make more precise prescribing decisions. Right drug, right dose, right person.
This test is a great way to determine if medications are metabolizing in your body. It is “personalized” to fit your genetic make-up. It is a simple buccal swab, is reimbursed by medicare and can help guide healthcare professionals when dosing patients.
So why wouldn’t you test?
Clay Bullard, President of PGx Medical headquartered in Oklahoma said, “I hope more doctors will choose to test, particularly for the geriatric population.” By knowing a person’s genetic make-up you can eliminate the medications that don’t have the ability to metabolize in an individual. Saving money on unnecessary medications, possible adverse drug events and even hospitalization.
Bullard, who founded PGx Medical has a passion and a reason for starting the company. His wife’s physician recommended the test about 10 years ago. She wasn’t getting results from her rheumatoid arthritis treatment, and the doctor said the genetic screening could better determine which medicine would work well for her.
Bullard said there are other companies out there that offer the test. Most are toxicology labs that do this on the side. But this is all his company, PGx Medical does. “We concentrate on pharmacogenetic testing and we have consultants across the country that educate healthcare professionals. Since our test comes on a physicians authorization, we try and spend time educating the physicians and their staff prior to testing. That way you know the results are going to be implemented and outcomes are going to be better.”
PGx Medical has partnered with some of the leading healthcare organizations who understand the need for quality care in senior communities.
Pharmacogenetic testing isn’t new, and it isn’t going anywhere. As baby boomers age and healthcare cost continue to rise, eventually there will be a tipping point. “I am already talking to organizations across the country who see this as not only a way to improve quality of life, but also a way to help lower healthcare costs,” said Bullard.
For more information on Pharmacogenetic Testing, contact:
PGx Medical
Individualized Care – Personalized Medicine
405-509-5112
info@pgxmed.com
www.pgxmed.com
by brant bullard | Aug 31, 2015 | Metabolic Validation Program
PGx Medical analyzes clinically relevant genetic variants for 19 genes and receptor sites related to medication reponse.
The PGx Medical program, Metabolic Validation, via pharmacogenetic testing is a non-invasive buccal swab of the cheek that helps healthcare professionals customize prescribing decisions.
The test results are ready to view 48 hours from the date our lab receives the sample allowing clinicians to make proper prescribing decisions quickly and accurately for each individual patient.
Individual patient response to medications is influenced by genetic variation in the enzymes responsible for drug metabolism as well as targeted receptors and transporters. Variations in metabolism can cause life-threatening toxicity in one patient and reduce drug effectiveness in another.
Prescribing the right drug, and the right dose, for the right person. Individualized care tailored to fit each person moving beyond the trial and error process.
While the science behind each test is complex, the process for providing personalized medicine to each patient is designed to be simple.
For more information on identifying the best medications for your patients, contact:
PGx Medical
Individualized Care – Personalized Medicine
www.pgxmed.com
info@pgxmed.com
405-509-5112
