As the demand for genetic counseling continues to rise, many health systems struggle to meet the needs of their patients. Delays in genetic counseling can have significant impacts, particularly for cancer patients where timely results are crucial.
The National Society for Genetic Counselors (NSGC) estimates there are currently 5,629 genetic counselors in North America. With an estimated 10 new genetic tests hitting the market daily and more than 140,000 tests currently available, the supply of these specially-trained professionals is woefully inadequate, as felt by our soon-to-be health system client.
The Challenge
A major regional non-profit health system with dozens of medical offices, affiliated hospitals, and over 7,000 healthcare providers, faced a significant backlog of 500 patients requiring genetic counseling. In need of an urgent solution, they approached InformedDNA for help.
The Solution
The system partnered with InformedDNA to leverage our telehealth model, providing patients unprecedented access to our board-certified genetics experts, and clinical management services. The solution included:
- Referral and Workflow Integration:
- Customized workflows to efficiently screen and refer patients
- Secure portal access and educational patient brochures
- EHR and Reporting Alignment:
- Direct messaging system replacing legacy fax reporting, reducing administrative burdens
- Dedicated Account Services:
- Single-point-of-contact Account Manager for seamless service integration
- Quarterly clinical updates provided to the health system and surrounding area providers
The Results?
Download the full case study for details and metrics of how, with our solution, this health system achieved:
- Elimination of patient backlogs
- Improved patient and provider satisfaction metrics, reflecting world-class service
- Effective management of ongoing monthly referral volume
- Expanded services to include all specialties beyond oncology
- Volume of patients they were able to counsel within just 5 years of deployment
