By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    An Expert’s Guide To Building and Improving Endurance
    June 30, 2022
    medical assistants
    What Do Medical Assistants Do On a Day to Day Basis?
    April 5, 2022
    superfoods to help with prostate health
    10 Healthy Foods That Can Help Protect Your Prostate
    August 29, 2022
    Latest News
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    healthcare cost crisis
    What If the Health Care Cost Crisis Solves Itself?
    May 11, 2013
    Do You Need Life Insurance? What Does It Cover?
    December 23, 2022
    HIE metal plans
    The Four “Metal Plans” of Health Insurance Exchanges
    May 28, 2013
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Consumer Genomic Testing Challenges Physicians to Stay Within the Guidelines
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Global Healthcare > Consumer Genomic Testing Challenges Physicians to Stay Within the Guidelines
DiagnosticsGlobal HealthcareHealth ReformMedical InnovationsTechnology

Consumer Genomic Testing Challenges Physicians to Stay Within the Guidelines

Caroline Popper
Caroline Popper
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

Practice guidelines help physicians and other health care providers deliver consistent and information-based medical advice to their patients. But health care is changing radically: Genomic testing costs dipping below $2,000, patients and consumers accessing information over the web and even ordering tests for themselves, and the general awareness of genetic information in treatment decisions, are all factors at the base of this sea of change.

Practice guidelines help physicians and other health care providers deliver consistent and information-based medical advice to their patients. But health care is changing radically: Genomic testing costs dipping below $2,000, patients and consumers accessing information over the web and even ordering tests for themselves, and the general awareness of genetic information in treatment decisions, are all factors at the base of this sea of change. These dynamics are leading to greater consumer demand for this personalized genomic information, and possibly to consideration of health care options based on that information.

How do we balance guidelines focused on standardizing physician behavior with individual consumer demands for testing?

A new study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the University of Michigan has begun to plumb the depth of this new consumer interest in genomics. The Personal Genomics (PGen) study is one of the first interdisciplinary inquiries to examine why people want genomic testing now. It will survey 1,000 volunteers. Then, physicians, scientists, attorneys, genetic counselors, psychologists and bioethicists – many of whom hope the study will guide public policy and business practices in this area – will analyze the results.

More Read

pioneer ACOs
Pioneer ACOs: Some Say Risk Not Worth Reward
What Do Medical Assistants Do On a Day to Day Basis?
WEF’s Top 10 Innovations for 2014: How May These Impact the Future of Healthcare?
Not Surprising That Sick People Aren’t Always Happy About Costs
Challenges of Healthcare of Gays & Lesbians under Reform

Knowing what is in your genome can empower patients, further reinforcing their role as “consumers of health care.” This new power, then, would – in theory – drive their demand for more tailored care. Earlier studies found that the earliest adopters of genetic testing were simply satisfying a vague curiosity; today, however, we do not know precisely why subsequent waves of consumers are interested in testing.

As life science industry strategists who are also healthcare professionals and consumers, we at Popper and Company are wondering whether the rise of the empowered consumer will or will not be accompanied by a commensurate with a rise in consumer knowledge of genetics. We are also thinking about how this new consumer will interact with potentially less information-empowered health care providers, and how this interaction might impact health care delivery within current care guidelines and standards and the historic doctor-patient relationship.

How well are consumers internalizing the information provided by genomic tests? Why are they demanding it, and what are they looking for? How can physicians weave this new demand into their practice? How can a win-win situation be created? How do physicians and patients become comfortable with concepts of “relative risk” and “probability”? What opportunities and responsibilities for a broad education do test developers bear? What does all of this mean to those of you developing the tests? Are the disciplines of human behavior, biology and assay development about to converge? Share your thoughts with us. 

 

This post was originally published on the Popper and Co blog.

TAGGED:consumer genomics testinggenomics
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

technology in medical research
The Tools Helping Medical Researchers See the Full Picture
News Technology
August 3, 2025
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
Health
July 31, 2025
holistic dental
Holistic Dentist Services Are Natural and Safe
Dental health Specialties
July 28, 2025
botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025

You Might also Like

Adrenal Pathology Reporting: How to Prevent Errors with Pathology Reporting Software

September 29, 2014
competitive race in healthcare
BusinessHealth ReformPolicy & Law

You Can’t Take That Away From Me

April 6, 2011
HIE metal plans
Health ReformPolicy & LawPublic Health

The Four “Metal Plans” of Health Insurance Exchanges

May 28, 2013

Medtech Fundings, September 2015

September 3, 2015
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?