Genome Medical issued the following announcement on April 4.
Renown Health, northern Nevada's healthcare leader and Reno's only locally owned not-for-profit health system, and Genome Medical, a leading nationwide telegenomics technology and services company, today announced a partnership to bring genetic counseling and educational services to participants of the Healthy Nevada Project.
Under the partnership, select participants in the Healthy Nevada Project are receiving counseling and other genetic services from Genome Medical as the next step in their care, following initial genetic testing. This ensures that participants with medically actionable findings are given the best possible means of understanding their results and communicating those results back to their primary care provider, who can guide any necessary changes to their clinical care.
Details on the collaboration are to be discussed today during a presentation by Joseph Grzymski, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Renown Health, Associate Research Professor at Desert Research Institute and principal investigator of the Healthy Nevada Project, at the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting in Seattle. His talk will provide an update on the Healthy Nevada Project, a first-of-its-kind, community-based population health study, and insights on how early results indicate that current guidelines are missing a majority of CDC Tier 1 conditions and the need for strong outreach and education services.
"We believe returning results to participants is a critical part of this population health study," said Grzymski. "However, we know that just returning results isn't enough. We are also here to help people understand their risks and take necessary next steps at the clinical level to help them live healthier lives. Genome Medical is the perfect partner to help us achieve this and spread the message that early detection of these CDC Tier 1 conditions will save lives."
The Healthy Nevada Project, led by Renown Institute for Health Innovation (Renown IHI) a partnership between Renown Health and Desert Research Institute, was launched in September 2016 as one of the first community-based population health studies in the United States. The study has already enrolled, consented and collected DNA from approximately 35,000 participants, with the aim of one in 40 Nevadans being a part of the study by the end of this year.
Under the program, researchers and physicians are using genetics, environmental data and individual health information to empower providers with a targeted approach to personal health care and treatment, in turn improving the overall health and well-being of people in the local communities.
The partnership between Genome Medical and Renown Health is a first-of-its-kind approach for assessing genetic testing results and providing patients with counseling services that support and guide them on their genomic health journeys. This is made possible through Genome Medical's virtual telehealth platform in which study participants are connected directly, on-demand, with genetic specialists.
"Genome Medical is excited to be part of Renown Health's innovative initiative, which directly aligns with our mission to bring genomic medicine to everyday care," said Lisa Alderson, CEO, Genome Medical. "Together, we are spearheading a new and proactive communications model for returning test results to patients and providing comprehensive patient support. Patients as well as their physicians receive convenient access to Genome Medical genetic specialists to address any concerns and to incorporate this essential information and take appropriate actions in adjusting health care. We hope this will serve as a model for large scale research programs to return genetic information to participants."
Original source can be found here.
