Comments on: The Revolution Will Be Personalized

By: denilson

denilson — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:15:52 +0000

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By: Lynn Dowling

Lynn Dowling — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:25:37 +0000

I am a hospital business executive. I knew nothing about personalized medicine until I was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago and confidently skipped chemotherapy after my tumor was genetically analyzed. After 3o years in healthcare I recognized a winner. How many unnecessary courses of chemotherapy will this one test alone prevent? You mention warfarin and the untold suffering and costs that result from improper dosing that can now largely be prevented with a genetic test. This industry need not solve all of healthcare’s ills before society embraces it. Like most medical advances, it is already moving incrementally into the practices of thoughtful physicians. The GI doctors I know are all using genetic tests. The cardiologists are anxious to understand which patients will repond to which statins. And the psychiatrists are positively giddy at the prospect of making more accurate diagnoses and treatment decisions. The practicing physicians I know are not wringing their hands over “genetics for consumers”–they’ve been dealing with patients’ print-outs from healthcare internet sites for years now. They are incredibly curious but frustrated that they don’t know more about genetics. The hospital I work with is helping arrange for such education and we plan to develop a clearinghouse of tests that are ready for prime time. We aren’t waiting for society to tell us that personalized medicine is “okay.” Our patients and doctors want information on credible genomic tests now.

By: Marcia Kean

Marcia Kean — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:02:27 +0000

Your skepticism about personalized medicine seems based on the fact that it has not yet solved all the nation’s health care ills. On the other hand, it is a relatively new phenomenon that dates its birth roughly from the Mappinbg of the Human Genome earlier this decade. I believe the overarching message of the second HHS Report was that numerous medical centers across the country — ie., the scientific and medical leadership of the nation –are in fact rapidly adopting personalized medicine approaches, and as they go, so the rest of the country will surely follow. And, as a “consumer”, I believe that the sophistication that all of us bring to our daily digitally guided lives (in travel, finance, retail, etc.) will soon become familiar and welcome in the realm of healthcare. It is not necessary for all of us to have a PhD in genetics to understand the value of a Family Health record, nor for every physician to be a genetics expert to apply the results of genetically-informed diagnostics to an individualized course of treatment of me. Bravo to HHS for attempting to advance this field as rapidly as they can!

By: Jeremy Engdahl-Johnson

Jeremy Engdahl-Johnson — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:42:59 +0000

This is a good market for GE; electronic medical records can increase efficiency and only about 10% – 15% of hospitals — and about the same percent of doctors — have adopted EMR systems.

What’s tougher is the big price tag: Will electronic records really decrease healthcare costs? We know there will be a spike in costs at the outset, and that the systems are likely to cost more than anticipated. The ROI is still unclear.

Even trickier is the underlying logic of these systems, especially around the need to assure and deliver quality, consistent care. Do they incorporate the smartest diagnostic and quality care guidelines? Do they make evidence-based clinical information available at the bedside, along with the patient’s individual and historical information? Not all EMRs are created equal.

Possibilities? http://www.healthcaretownhall.com