by brant bullard | Aug 28, 2015 | Metabolic Validation Program
Personalized Medicine is a medical model that proposes the customization of healthcare – with medical decisions, practices, and/or products being tailored to the individual patient. ~wikipedia~
Personalized Medicine involves identifying genetic, genomic, and clinical information that allows accurate predictions to be made about a person’s genetic make-up and response to treatment. It is also known as pharmacogenetic tesing (PGx).
Is Personalized Medicine Only For People Who Are Sick Or With Symptoms?
Definitely not. Most healthcare professionals treat patients based on diagnosis and medications available to treat the diagnosis. But how do you know if a 75 year old resident in a memory care unit is getting the therapy they need?
By knowing how an individual can metabolize medications will help guide healthcare professionals when treating that individual and focus more on wellness and prevention of future medical events.
Avoiding Adverse Drug Events
According to a report from the U.S. Health and Human Services, over 770,000 people are injured or die each year in hospitals from adverse drug events (ADEs), which may cost up to $5.6 million each year per hospital. National hospital expenses to treat patients who suffer ADEs during hospitalization are estimated at between $1.56 and $5.6 billion annually. Patient injuries resulting from drug therapy are among the most common types of adverse events that occur in hospitals.
More than 80% of ADRs causing admission or occurring in hospital are type A (dose-related) in nature, and thus predictable from the known pharmacology of the drug and therefore potentially avoidable. ~ncbi.com~
The process of prescribing a medication is complex and includes: deciding that a drug is indicated, choosing the best drug, determining a dose and schedule appropriate for the patient’s physiologic status, monitoring for effectiveness and toxicity, educating the patient about expected side effects, and indications for seeking consultation. With Personalized Medicine, we call that, Right Drug, Right Dose, Right Person. And a simple buccal swab of the cheek can tell you what medications will work for that individual.
So Why Wouldn’t A Healthcare Professional Perform The Test On Patients With Medical Necessity?
Education is the key. The purpose of PGx testing is to determine the risk of side effects and/or likelihood of effectiveness of a given medication. Physicians are often asked about side effects of prescribed drugs and factors that may alter the effectiveness of a drug, and if PGx testing is an option, it should be part of that conversation. Educating healthcare professionals and patients that this test is a “drug response test” that will help healthcare professionals with proper prescribing to help save time (trial-and-error), cost (medications that don’t work) and more importantly help patients live a better quality of life.
Outcomes of PGx Testing
Pharmacogenetic test results are not only important for the drug which prompted the testing, but potentially for other drugs prescribed in the future. Therefore, test results can help inform other treatment decisions in the future.
For more information on Pharmacogenetic Testing, contact:
PGx Medical
Individualized Care – Personalized Medicine
info@pgxmed.com
405-509-5112
sources: ncbi.com, nih.com
by brant bullard | Aug 27, 2015 | Metabolic Validation Program
Are psychiatric medications really working?
Trial-and-error has been the approach for many years when prescribing medications. There are dozens of psychiatric medications that can be prescribed for depression, anxiety, ADHD and more. But how do we know the medications are really giving the patient the therapy they need?
What if doctors could know ahead of time based on a pharmacogenetic test if the medications even had the ability to work? What if they took the guess work out of it and found medications that would work the first time?
Research shows that after your first antidepressant prescription, 4 out of 5 people will experience little relief, if any at all, from their depressive symptons. Today, some healthcare professionals are prescribing medications randomly with no regard to your individual genetic makeup.
Pharmacogenetic testing isn’t a cure all. It is a guide to help healthcare professionals know what medications your body can metabolize to help give you the therapy you need.
So what’s the downside? Well, there really isn’t any. The test is 100% reimbursed by medicare B, medicaid and most private insurance companies (minus normal co-pays and deductibles). The PGx Medical test is back within 48 hours and is a once-in-a-lifetime test that is a simple buccal swab of the cheek. Better “personalized” care that can help improve your quality of life…and it’s paid for.
The only downside would be not doing the test and continuing the trial-and-error process. Then when another catastrophic event happens it is brought to light again. A cycle that we now have the ability to stop, or at least slow down. It’s about being proactive and owning our healthcare.
For more information on Pharmacogenetic Testing,
Contact:
PGx Medical
Individualized Care – Personalized Medicine
www.pgxmed.com
info@pgxmed.com
405-509-5112
by brant bullard | Aug 13, 2015 | News
PGx Medical is proud to partner with healthcare professionals across the country. And your feedback is important to us.
Rachel Moore PA-C
Diana O’Connor Family Medicine
PGx: Do you find our metabolic validation program to be easy to administer?
Rachel: Yes, it was very easy.
PGx: Do you find the test results to be helpful when dosing or treating your residents?
Rachel: Yes. Test results are very user friendly.
PGx: How has the program changed the culture of your home and med review for residents in your home?
Rachel: It saves time and frustration for us as providers and the patients.
PGx: What percentage of residents on average do you see after testing are in need of a dose change, med change or discontinuing of medication?
Rachel: About 90%
PGx: Would you recommend the PGx Medical Metabolic Validation Program to other homes, clinics or pharmacies across the state?
Rachel: Yes
PGx: Do you have a success story you can share?
Rachel: One patient we had tried so many SSRI/SNRIs and after her PGx test, we were able to find the right med regimen and now she feels great!
Tell us your success stories at info@pgxmed.com
PGx Medical
Individualized Care – Personalized Medicine
405-509-5112
by brant bullard | Jul 30, 2015 | News
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
by brant bullard | Jul 22, 2015 | Metabolic Validation Program
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
